Imagine Madness
by charm545
Summary: Ever since Ciel could remember, Sebastian had always been at his side. Now at age 13, despite all the therapy and efforts from his mother, he was still there. One thing is certain: the danger is very real.
1. Chapter 1

The kindergarten classroom hummed with childish voices and laughter. At a more distant table, alone at plain sight, a boy with blue hair and bright eyes was focused working on his macaroni art.

"Was it like this?" He called out, his voice not catching any attention in the already noisy room.

"The example had that last piece more to the left."

"Ok!"

Humming happily, the child took off the last few macaroni he had placed and began deciding their new location. There was a dark shadow looming over him, even though no one else could see it but him.

"Done!" The boy cheered, turning around and looking up. Red gaze met blue, and a light smile echoed the large, tooth-missing, one.

"It's perfect."

* * *

><p>"Grilled cheese sandwich again?"<p>

Sebastian stood by the kitchen table, arms crossed, eyes looking disapprovingly from the unhealthy food choice to the person preparing it.

13 year old Ciel Phantomhive felt the gaze, and gave a weak scowl.

"Don't look at me like that. It's not my fault my mother forgets to buy groceries."

"You have a maid, why doesn't she go?"

"Her job is to keep the house clean."

"I'm sure keeping you alive should be in there somewhere."

"Ha ha."

They fell back to a comfortable silence as Ciel flipped the sandwich over the warming skillet. He didn't know much about cooking (that means he knew nothing) but lately he had been forced to improvise since his maid, Mey rin, had stopped living in the Phantom household. She would go every day but only stayed long enough to clean the house and make a quick school lunch for Ciel. The boy honestly missed having decent dinners.

"Speaking of your mother, where is she? It's getting late." Sebastian asked with a bored tone.

"Her party must have gone on longer than she though it would. I hope she isn't drunk."

"You should go to sleep soon to avoid running into her if that's the case."

"Yeah, that would be annoying."

Ciel began to look for a plate, but opened the cups cupboard instead.

"The one on the left." Sebastian said, teasingly.

"Right." The boy took his plate and set his dinner on it.

"Remind me again why you didn't use the toaster?" A sly grin asked.

"Yeah, yeah, I couldn't find it! Get over it!" Ciel blushed in annoyance. He took a seat at the table and began to munch on his sandwich. The boy was not surprised when Sebastian stayed standing. In all their years together, Ciel had never seen the man sit, or sleep, or eat. It never seemed like something weird; that was just the way Sebastian was.

"How's your heart attack on a plate?"

"Crunchy."

Sebastian watched the boy eat. Suddenly he raised his head slightly to the side.

"Your mother's here."

"Oh, shi-" Ciel swallowed a swear along with the bite he had just taken. "Plan A or B?"

Sebastian listened carefully.

"B."

With that, Ciel quickly threw the plate into the sink before running back to the table and hiding beneath it right on time. The door opened.

"**Cieeeeeluuuuu!** Are you here darliiiiing!"

The boy gave his sandwich a quiet bite. Sebastian couldn't help chuckle.

Mrs. Phantomhive made her way to the foot of the stairs. She put a hand over her mouth.

"Cieeeeeluuuu! Are you asleep alreadyyyyyy!"

The boy's face twitched, and Sebastian covered his mouth to muffle his laughter.

_Well if I HAD been asleep I would have definitely not stayed that way. _Ciel thought with annoyance.

After not receiving a response, the woman yelled again.

"Okaaaaay! Goodnight theeeeeen! I'm going to sleep tooooooooo!"

Ciel finished his sandwich as he listened to his mother ungracefully go up the stairs, laughing all the way.

"All clear." Sebastian eventually said. Ciel got out from his hiding spot and stretched.

"Crisis avoided, I guess. Is it safe to go to my room?"

"Yes, she is already in bed."

"Sheesh she didn't even change her clothes."

They walked to Ciel's bedroom, where the boy quickly put on his pajamas and went under the covers.

"You haven't finished your history homework."

"It's ok. It's due till Tuesday."

"We both know Ms. Angela is going to check for progress just to spite you."

"And I'll be a smartass and get out of it like usual."

Sebastian sighed in defeat. He watched as Ciel found a comfortable position to sleep in.

"Goodnight, Sebastian." The boy said between yawns.

"Don't dream with bedbugs."

"I won't."

And as the night went by, that shadow stayed looming over the boy.

* * *

><p>"Ciel… Ciel… You slept through your alarm again."<p>

Blue eyes snapped open. Ciel almost fell as he tumbled off his bed.

"Whyyyyy!"

Sebastian watched with amusement as the boy hurriedly got ready for school. He opened his mouth to say something but then seemed to decide otherwise.

"I'm so late! Let's go!" The boy quickly made his way down the stairs. He entered the kitchen, a plate of breakfast already waiting for him before an empty seat.

"Good morning, young master!" Mey rin said cheerfully. She handed a cup of water and a pill to Ciel's mother, who was sitting next to his designated seat.

"Ciel!" She looked up at her son. "Good morning, sweetie. I hope I didn't bother you last night again." She asked worriedly. Ciel forced a smile.

"Don't worry, mum, I didn't even hear you come in."

"That's good." Relief flooded her features, but was quickly switched with confusion. "Ciel… is that a new fashion statement or something?" She pointed at his tie.

"What?" He looked down and saw that he had put on his tie on the wrong side. Ciel heard a small snicker behind him. The boy maintained his smile. "Thanks for _telling_ me," he said looking back at Sebastian with a glare. "Mother."

"Young master! Eat quickly or you will be late!" Mey rin called out, exasperated. Ciel's eyes widened as he remembered that fact.

"Right!" He quickly took a seat and began to stuff scrambled eggs and bacon into his mouth.

"How ungentlemanly." Sebastian said with a shake of his head.

"Shut up." Ciel mumbled between bites.

"Hm?" His mother asked. Ciel paid her no heed. He ignored her gaze as he focused on not chocking.

"Done! Let's go!" He stood up, pulling his backpack along with him. He yelled thanks to Mey rin as she handed him his lunch, and ran out the door. "Bye, mom!"

Mrs. Phantomhive stared after her son, a distant look on her face as a memory resurfaced.

_A younger Mrs. Phantomhive kneeled down before her 6 year old son, squeezing his shoulders encouragingly._

"_I know daddy isn't home, but mommy has a very important event she has to go to. Mey rin will be here soon so I promise you won't be alone for very long. " _

_Innocent blue eyes blinked up at her._

"_I'm not alone, mama: Sebastian's with me." He said as a matter of fact. The woman frowned. _

"_Sebastian…" She wrecked her brain for understanding, then it hit her: her son had an imaginary friend. Her eyes softened. "Oh… that's nice, sweetie. Go play with him until Mey rin gets here, yes?"_

_Ciel flashed her a smile before running off. The woman stood up and began to walk out the door, feeling glad that her son wasn't lonely, yet guilty that loneliness had been the cause of it. _

"_I left my son so alone that his mind had to make up for it…"_

* * *

><p>"I need to stop relying on you to wake me up!" Ciel cursed as he ran to his school. He felt frustration fill him as he turned his head and saw Sebastian walking calmly yet somehow having no trouble keeping pace with the boy.<p>

"There's no shame in some assistance."

"Shut up, I know! There are just certain things one should be able to do on their own." Ciel felt Sebastian's incredulous gaze.

"… you have a maid."

"Shut up!"

"You can't cook."

"Sebastian!"

"The only thing you do for yourself is go to school because it is a block away."

"I really hate you."

Suddenly Sebastian raised his head.

"The bell."

"Shit! Was that the first or second one?"

Ciel watched as Sebastian listened. Looking at him, the boy became dazed as he was reminded of something.

_The man sighed and pushed up his glasses as he looked at the 8 year old boy before him. The child was avoiding his gaze, staring at the wall over his shoulder. _

"_Silence again, Ciel?" The man mumbled. The boy gave no reaction. "You know we will never advance if you don't cooperate." _

_Ciel stayed staring at that spot on the wall. Sebastian stood next to him, looking bored. _

"_Your mother is very concerned about you." The therapist tried a different approach. _

"_Well he's persistent, we should give him that." Sebastian mused. Ciel couldn't stop his lip from curving up for a second. The man caught sight of it like a hawk, thinking what he had said had touched a nerve. _

"_Yes, your mother! We both know this all began because when you were younger. Your father was always working and your mother was never with you." _

_Ciel hissed, pointedly looking away._

_**Who does this guy think he is! He doesn't know anything about me!**_

"_She feels so bad about it, Ciel. But she's going to be with you all the time now. You can let go… you can let _**him**_ go…"_

_The boy winced and covered his ears._

"_Shut up!" _

_Sebastian glared daggers at the therapist, who suddenly felt a chill run through him but paid it no mind. He felt like he was finally making progress._

"_Remember what I told you yesterday? It is you who is creating this person. You are old enough now to see the way things are. All you have to do is will it to go away…"_

"_That's not true! That can't be true!" Ciel suddenly pulled his hands away and glared at the man, fire in his eyes. The therapist felt his excitement rise. "It's not my mind! He knows things that I don't! He can hear things that I can't! It isn't my mind!" The boy was trembling lightly. Sebastian watched him in silence. _

_The man smiled with victory before leaning in closer._

"_I am going to tell you this because I know you are a very intelligent young boy, so you will understand me. All of those things he tells you: you only _**think**_ you don't know them! It is the way your subconscious releases information! You are not aware that you know it, but it is there!"_

_Ciel shook his head violently._

"_You are wrong! I don't want to hear you anymore!" _

_With that, the young boy got off the couch and ran to the door, the therapist calling after him._

"_Ciel!"_

"Ciel!" The boy blinked as he snapped out of his thoughts. "It's the second bell! Hurry!"

"Gah!" He quickly ran what was left of the distance between himself and the school gate. Automatically, he ran through the halls towards his first class of the day, not watching where he was going.

"Ciel!" Sebastian suddenly called out but it was too late. The blue haired boy crashed into another tall, black haired one. The impact wasn't strong enough to push either of them to the ground, but dazed the smaller boy lightly.

"Late again, Phantomhive?" An annoying voice said with a rude snicker. Ciel cursed as he recognized it as the voice of the boy who was the son of his father's biggest competitor. That boy who loved to bully him yet he literally knew nothing about.

"Well unless you are just enjoying the view of the lockers you are probably late too so lets just get out of each other's way, huh?" Ciel muttered before trying to walk around the taller boy.

Immediately he followed Ciel's movements, blocking his path.

"Don't even pretend like you care about school, scum."

"You definitely don't. That's probably why you almost got expelled last year."

The black haired boy cursed and gave a step forward with the intention of taking a hold of Ciel's shirt. The smaller boy easily evaded him and used the movement to his advantage as he found a slit to pass through.

"You better watch it, Phantomhive! I'll get you good someday!"

"That boy lacks all forms of mannerism." Sebastian said with a bored yet hard tone.

"Right?"

Class was uneventful. Ciel lost interest soon enough and instead turned to have a staring contest with Sebastian. They always did that when they had nothing to do, and Sebastian always won. Ciel was determined to beat him some day.

After the contest, the two of them would entertain themselves by simply staring into each other's eyes (no, it's not the same thing!). Ciel found it more interesting than looking out the window, anyway. He would let himself be lost in those pools of red and think of nothing for some time.

"Mr. Phantomhive!" Ciel turned to the teacher. "Maybe you should spend less time day dreaming and more paying attention! Come to the board!"

The boy muttered under his breath as he stood up and walked to the front of the class, Sebastian following him. He took the smartboard marker that was offered to him and he began to read the problem.

He had no clue how to do it.

"Come on now, Ciel. We saw this yesterday. " Sebastian teased, arms crossed. Ciel's hand clenched over the marker.

_You good for nothing-_

Ciel changed his position to make it seem like he was thinking. Sebastian sighed.

"Maybe this is a sign I should resign and you should get an actual tutor."

Ciel's shoulder's tensed. Sebastian could tell he was nearing his boy's patience.

"Fine, fine." The boy quickly followed Sebastian's directions and soon had the answer on the board. The teacher looked frustrated at his success.

"That is correct. You may take a seat, Phantomhive."

The blue haired boy turned back towards his desk, walking by Sebastian.

"You're welcome." He said cheerfully.

Ciel didn't look at him, and instead said "Curse you" in the hand gestures they had created when Ciel had turned 10 (in preparation for his first 'work meeting' with his father's company, which was obviously just going to have him sitting there doing nothing. It also proved useful for when Ciel's asthma would act up, leaving the boy too ill to speak. Also it is a little less weird to make hand gestures to thin air than to talk to it).

The rest of the day passed fairly quickly, which Ciel was glad for. They walked home in silence, Sebastian watching the boy like always. He never tired of it. So many years at the boy's side and Sebastian was still as interested as ever. An echo of the past crossed his mind.

"_Sebastian?"_

"_Hm?"_

"_Are you real?"_

_The question had caught him off guard. The Ciel asking this was 7 years old: one who had not yet been forced into therapy, and had never been worriedly questioned by his mother. _

_Sebastian had not expected for the boy to think he wasn't real, but as he quickly thought about human psychology he saw what would have made Ciel come to that conclusion. His eyes softened. _

"_Even if I said yes, it wouldn't mean anything, would it?"_

_Even in the dark he could clearly see Ciel's eyes as they stared into his._

"_No… I guess not…" The boy laid on his back and looked at the ceiling before closing his eyes. "Goodnight, Sebastian."_

"…_Good night." _

"Sebastian?"

"Hm?" He acted as if he had not just been forced out of his thoughts. Ciel watched him curiously.

"What were you thinking about so hard? Don't even try to deny it."

Sebastian wondered sometimes if he should have distanced himself from the boy a long time ago. Ciel knew him too well. Sebastian could have easily watched the boy without letting him know, yet for some reason he let their interactions continue for years.

"Funerary arrangements. They may be necessary if you continue to have grilled cheese sandwiches for dinner. I think you'd look rather dashing lying over a bed of white roses."

"Oh shut up. Maybe my mother is home and we can go to a restaurant." Sebastian snorted in response. Ciel gave him a weak glare. "Wow thanks for all the positivity."

The boy looked up at the sky, lost in thought. Sebastian watched him carefully.

"We could… go on an adventure? Just keep walking until we find somewhere to eat? I might not know the way back, though."

Sebastian smirked.

"What do you mean? Have I ever let you get lost?"

Ciel glared.

"**Yes**."

"Oh, but that was once! And you have to admit it was quite funny."

"It was pitch dark! And on _Halloween_!" Ciel scowled, resulting in a snicker from Sebastian.

"It's alright, Ciel. After all, I would never let anything happen to you."

The boy looked down at his shoes.

"I know."

* * *

><p>Some walking later, they came across a coffee shop. The moment Ciel opened the door, his eyes widened like a child's on Christmas.<p>

"_Cake_!" Ciel ran to the counter where there were many different types of cakes behind the glass. Ciel stared dreamily at them. Mey rin was not a good baker, and although his mother actually was she was never around, so cake was a rare treat which Ciel adored. As the boy fanned over the desserts, Sebastian gave him a look that any outsider would have described as fond. Ciel turned to him.

"Which should I choose!"

Sebastian's response, which was along the lines of "cake isn't much healthier than grilled cheese sandwiches, and you aren't being careful at all about talking to thin air", died on his lips as he saw the boy's bright expression. He sighed before speaking.

"You have enough money for 2 slices, do you not?"

"You're right!" Ciel cheered, which earned him a few raised eyebrows. "I'm going to get those two then!" He pointed through the glass.

"Good choice."

Once served, Ciel moved to a little table, Sebastian standing at his side.

"Here I go!" He cut a bit of the first piece and passed it through his lips, savoring it. "Gah! I wish so bad that my mom would make this more often! The last time I had cake was on my birthday!"

Sebastian remembered clearly how happy the boy had been with his red velvet cake from his mother. His own present had been telling the boy the answers to all tests that took place that day.

This lead him to a very peculiar memory…

"_-eba-tian!" 3 year old Ciel yelled out as he neared him. The child still had problems pronouncing the "S" correctly, which Sebastian still found ironic. He kneeled down to be as close to eye level with the boy as possible. _

"_What is it, Ciel?"_

"_Itu-going to be my bir-day choon!" _

"_Yes, I am aware." _

_Sebastian stared at those eyes that seemed to sparkle. _

"_And you?" The boy asked. Red eyes blinked in confusion._

"_What about me?"_

"_Your bir-day!" _

_Surprise filled Sebastian's face. The boy smiled, excitedly waiting for an answer. _

"_I do not have one." He responded. Ciel gasped in a child's version of utter horror._

"_No! Thatu not good!" He pouted, which brought a soft smile to Sebastian's lips. The boy crossed his arms and looked away for a second before turning back with a determined expression. "Then we'll chair!" _

_This shocked Sebastian greatly._

"_What?"_

_Ciel was smiling again. _

"_My birt-day will be your bir-day too, ok?" _

_He knew not how to respond, all he could do was watch as the child ran back to his toys with a gleeful laugh. _

So each December 14, Ciel would give Sebastian something too. Like how on his fifth birthday Ciel convinced his parents to buy him a cat because he knew how much Sebastian liked them. Sebastian was honestly overjoyed, but it soon became apparent that Ciel was allergic to cats. They had to return the feline, which had the poor blue eyed boy crying and apologizing to Sebastian wholeheartedly. Although he had truly been disappointed, Sebastian was touched by Ciel's gesture.

Each year Ciel found a way to surprise him. Whenever Sebastian though the boy would run out of ideas, he didn't. Ciel's last birthday had been the one that surprised him the most…

"_Gift time!" Was the first thing Ciel said the morning of his 13nth birthday. _

"_That was fast." _

_Ciel stood up, clearing his throat and looking very serious all of a sudden. _

"_I don't remember very well how it happened… the day I gave you your name…" Sebastian remembered perfectly, but he stayed quiet. "I was so little then. So recently I realized something," Ciel looked right into his eyes. "I didn't give you a surname." _

_Although he didn't express it, Sebastian was shocked. There was a moment of silence. _

"_Michaelis." Ciel smiled in the closest thing to fondness that he had ever expressed. "Sebastian Michaelis." _

_Sebastian stayed quiet, expressionless, but there was a strange clenching in his chest. The room was silent for some time until Ciel seemed to lose his patience. _

"_Well! What do you think?" _

"… _You are still such a child." He said, eyes soft. Ciel scowled, looking away as a light blush appeared on his face. _

"_S-shut up! I thought really hard about this, you kno-!"_

"_Ciel." The boy blinked and looked into the other's eyes. "It's perfect." _

"We need to come here more often!" Sebastian blinked as he watched Ciel happily take the last forkful of his second slice of cake.

"You will get fat."

The scowl Ciel gave him was as if all the sugar in his system had suddenly become sour.

"Curse you! I wont!" He exclaimed. That was when he realized that all the talking in the establishment had stopped and everyone was looking at him. He blushed and stared at his empty plate.

"This is why we can't go to nice places." Ciel heard a teasing voice behind his ear. He slammed his hand against the table, making many people jump. He stood up, apologized for the trouble, and got out as fast as possible.

"So much for going more often. I think I won't be able to show my face in this part of town again." The boy muttered, defeated. He sighed. "I really loved those cakes…"

Sebastian chuckled. He was about to speak when his movement suddenly stopped as if he had hit a brick wall. His eyes widened for a second before narrowing dangerously.

Ciel had kept walking for a few seconds until he noticed.

"Sebastian?" He waited for a moment before slowly walking back to where the other was. "What is it?"

But Sebastian didn't seem to hear him. His eyes were unfocused, like he was looking at something that was worlds away, and his body tense.

"Seba-!" Suddenly his head turned sharply towards Ciel.

"Let us go home. Now."

Ciel nodded and practically ran as Sebastian asked him to quicken his pace. Once they were in the Phantomhive household, Ciel supported himself on his knees, catching his breath. He looked up at Sebastian.

"What happened?" He asked between breaths. "What's wrong?"

They made eye contact, a million words expressed through them, but none deciphered.

For the first time, it was Sebastian who looked away. Ciel felt his chest clench.

"Come on! Spit it out!"

The boy forced himself to stand upright. Sebastian clenched his fist before turning calmly to look at him. For the first time since he could remember, Ciel couldn't read his expression.

"Ciel…" The boy's eyes widened, maybe in unconscious fear of the words to follow. "I didn't think It would be necessary for me to tell you this… but I assure you that it is of the uttermost truth," Without meaning to, Ciel held his breath.

"…I am most definitely not imagined."


	2. Chapter 2

_Sebastian silently followed Ciel as the 8 year old ran away from the therapy room and out of the building, ignoring his mother's calls. The boy was about to blindly run towards the streets but Sebastian was able to guide him to a park where he could safely walk all he needed to. _

_He watched Ciel as the boy stared at the ground in silence. _

"_Don't let those man's words trouble you. Think about them if you must, but calmly and analytically so that they wont cause you grief."_

"_I'm just angry…"_

_Sebastian considered not asking, since he was probably the cause._

"_About what?"_

"_That I can't even prove them wrong…"_

_They had stopped walking, both turning to look at the other. _

"_They say if I will you away you will go. I could just do it, and if that doesn't work then it'll prove you are real… but… the thing is… I wouldn't even try because I don't want you to…I don't want you to go away…"_

_Sebastian's eyes were wide as he stared unblinkingly at his boy. Ciel gave him a defeated smile. _

"_So you see, I can't be sure… if you are real or not…" They stayed that way for a long time before Ciel turned around. "Let us go… Sebastian…"_

_Wordlessly, they walked back towards the building. The atmosphere wasn't uncomfortable, if anything it felt light. Sebastian had not looked away from the boy for even a second. Ciel was walking calmly, a dream-like look on his face, his hair being softly blown by the wind._

"_Ciel." The boy blinked, and stopped walking. He turned to look at his ever-present shadow. "Does it really bother you? Not knowing?"_

_Red and blue gazed deeply, fearlessly, feeling like all the answers to the universe were in the other's eyes. Finally, Ciel turned away._

"_No." He continued walking. "As long as you stay by my side, I don't care what you are." _

_Sebastian stayed standing there for a few seconds. He looked down as he felt a genuine smile creep onto his face._

Ciel's eyes were wide, his heartbeat accelerated.

"W-why are you telling me this now?"

_Why now… after all these years…_

Sebastian stared unblinkingly at him.

"Because there is something that you need to know. If you are to understand it then you must know what I am."

Ciel didn't understand what he was feeling. Fear? Anticipation? Anxiety? Whatever it was, it was so strong he felt it would choke him.

"Sebastian…" Ciel murmured breathlessly. This was it: the answer to a question that had never truly mattered to him but he had always felt the weight of. "…Tell me."

For Ciel, those eyes had never looked so red.

"I am a demon."

Shock hit his system, but it soon dispersed and found even ground inside him. Sebastian watched him carefully, taking in every reaction of his body. Mouth dry, Ciel swallowed as he nodded, signaling him to speak on. With caution, Sebastian did.

"My kind… we are not from this world. We explore it at times, but never stay for too long… of courses, there have been a few exceptions…"

Sebastian's eyes softened, and Ciel suddenly felt weak at the knees. How had such a familiar face come to be such a stranger? At that moment, the boy decided to learn all there was to know about his… no…. this demon.

"I came across you when you were very young... we could say I was… captivated…"

Ciel suddenly felt the need to ask something.

"H-how old was I?"

Thirst swarmed in his eyes: thirst for knowledge. Ciel couldn't remember the first time he saw Sebastian. He had simply always been there.

"A bit more than a year."

That made him want to laugh, because what could possibly be captivating about a baby? What could have caused this creature to decide to stay on earth, which was apparently unnatural, all these years?

He then experienced a different feeling, one he couldn't quite name.

_No wonder Sebastian is a given in my earliest memories: He's truly been there since before… _

"Why?" Ciel asked.

"Why you? It is a concept that would be hard to explain to a human," Ciel somehow felt nothing at the term. Without realizing, he had always known the Sebastian was not human. "I can tell that your true question is "why were you interested in a baby?". You see, it isn't just what that baby was: it was what it could become."

A million thoughts crossed Ciel's mind, but only one escaped his lips.

"And how has it been going so far?'

For the first time in the conversation, Sebastian seemed to relax.

"Can't complain." As quickly as it came, it went away. He took a step closer to Ciel, who moved his head up to follow those red eyes. "There is a reason why I am telling you this." Ciel wanted to hear it but he couldn't help interrupting.

"Why didn't you tell me before?" He didn't feel hurt or betrayed, just a need to know.

"I simply didn't deem it necessary. I wasn't sure how you would react and there was no need to risk it."

"But now there is."

Sebastian nodded. Ciel took a deep breath, preparing himself for what was to come.

"Outside… I felt the presence of another demon. " Blue eyes filled with shock. "We tend to avoid others of our kind at all cost. We can sense each other right away… so the fact that this one is near…"

"Means a direct challenge." Ciel reasoned.

"You're as quick as ever." Sebastian smiled. Ciel couldn't find any joy inside himself.

"Is it going to attack you?"

Sebastian sighed.

"That is unavoidable. It is not me we should be concerned about though."

Blue eyes blinked in confusion.

"What do you mean?"

Sebastian gave him a long and deep look that Ciel swore reached him to his very soul.

"Ciel… there is something I must ask of you."

The boy waited for him to continue, the suspense killing him.

"I want to mark you as my own." Silence ruled the room as those words echoed in Ciel's mind. Sebastian quickly continued. "We do not know what this demon wants, so we must take precautions. If we do this then my essence will become tied to yours and it is more likely that he and any other in the future will keep their distance."

Ciel was still silent. He watched Sebastian's face, trying to recall the earliest memory he had of him. He hadn't changed a bit.

"It is a simple process, and in exchange I promise to stay by your side and protect you from all harm."

Blue eyes blinked out of their daze.

"Weren't you…" He began. Sebastian's serious expression fell for a second to something nearing concern. "… doing that already?"

The demon's eyes softened and a light chuckle was heard. Ciel watched him, wondering how he could have ever thought the creature before him was not real.

"Ok." The boy whispered. Sebastian froze, eyes widening. Ciel took a deep breath. "Go ahead."

The demon's lip twitched before a serious expression fell over his face. For a moment he couldn't help think that Ciel should not trust him as much as he did, but decided this was not the time or place to delve into such thoughts. He carefully lifted his left hand over Ciel's eyes, a purple glow emitting from his own.

It took seconds for him to pass out, but the boy felt as if his insides were being slowly consumed by fire. His eyes stung, and dark corners soon took over his blurry vision.

The last thing his mind registered was Sebastian's purple gaze.

* * *

><p>His body ached as he awoke. Ciel's eyes slowly opened, a familiar face waiting for him.<p>

"Good morning." Sebastian said softly. Ciel turned to lay on his side, looking at him. Echoes of what had happened the day before crossed his mind but for a moment he didn't believe them. That was when his eyes landed on a black mark on the back of Sebastian's hand. Ciel's eyes slammed open as he flew upright.

"Sebastian! Your hand!"

The demon, because Ciel remembered that was indeed what he was, gave a small nod. He brought it up so Ciel could see it better. It was a pentagram surrounded by a circle of sharp edges.

"You have one too." Sebastian pointed at Ciel's full body mirror on the wall. The boy clumsily got out of bed and went towards it. He gasped as he quickly realized where his mark was. His left eye was now bright purple. His pupil was no longer visible, replaced with the same symbol that was on Sebastian's hand. The boy gazed at it with wonder before he snapped out of it, turning to the demon.

"You realize that is perhaps the most indiscrete spot you could have chosen?"

Sebastian smirked.

"It wasn't a choice. It has something to do with your essence, so, if anything, it's your fault."

Ciel scoffed. Mumbling something under his breath along the lines of "my fault" and "baby-stalking demon".

The boy sighed as he walked towards his closet.

"I guess I need to look for something to cover it with. "

Sebastian fought a laugh.

"Don't tell me you are looking for that pirate eye patch you used last Halloween."

"I don't have a choice, do I! I can't barge into the pharmacy all glow-ee like this!" A chuckle escaped the demon, who watched as Ciel disorganized all his drawers. "Found it!" Ciel lifted the black and circular accessory in the air in victory. He stood up, pressing it against his eye with one hand and taking hold of one of the strings with the other.

"Wait… Ciel… Let me try something."

He felt Sebastian near him from behind. What Ciel didn't expect though was the feeling of fingers gently taking the lace from his own. The boy gasped, frozen, shocked, as Sebastian took the other lace and slowly tied it perfectly behind the boy's head. Ciel could feel every little move and yet he didn't believe it.

Then he was done, and Ciel felt Sebastian's hands hesitate over his shoulders before he moved away. The boy was still in shock and it took him all his strength to turn around.

"Y-you…" Ciel didn't even know how to explain his confusion. He had never, in all these years, tried to touch Sebastian for the fear that… well… that there would be nothing there if he did. Sebastian had never attempted any physical interactions of his own so Ciel also took it as a sign not to try. He never thought much about it but…

"Our contract has bound me to this world. I can now interact with the things and people in it." Sebastian explained calmly.

Ciel suddenly didn't want explanations; there was just one thing he needed. Wordlessly, with shaky hands, the boy slowly extended his arms until his fingers grazed Sebastian's clothing. He gave a noiseless gasp at the contact. His fists clenched over the fabric.

Ciel had always believed in Sebastian. His constant presence and bad sense of humor was convincing enough, but the fact that he was touching him now made him all the more present, real.

Blue eyes became watery as Ciel let his head fall onto the demon's torso. He could tell Sebastian was in a slight shock of his own. Slowly he let one hand reach the top of Ciel's head and bury his fingers through the boy's hair. Then another hand was gently placed against his back.

They stayed like that for some time, Ciel not being able to remember the last time he had felt so content.

"You're not breathing." He was able to whisper.

"Would you like me to?"

"No, it's ok."

Finally, Ciel pulled away. He hid his face from Sebastian's sight as he rubbed at his eyes with the back of his arm. The demon watched him with lips slightly curled.

"Alright. Let's go." Ciel tried to say as nonchalantly as possible. Sebastian followed him into the hall.

"I'm guessing you are not going to school today?"

"You guess right."

There were still too many things that Ciel did not know, and he wasn't going to be wasting his time at school while his mind was completely elsewhere.

Sebastian's footsteps echoed behind him, and Ciel blinked as he realized he had never heard them before. He stopped.

"Is something wrong?" The demon asked.

"It's just… your footsteps…"

"Is the sound bothering you?" Sebastian began to walk again and now his steps were silent. "I can choose whether to interact with my surroundings or not." He explained, stopping once again before Ciel.

"So if I tried touching you right now it wouldn't work?" The truth was that the boy was deadly afraid of reaching out towards Sebastian and feeling nothing but air.

The demon smiled and reached over to pat Ciel's head. The boy's eyes widened at the touch.

"That is not the case. We are now one and the same. I cannot escape from you."

Ciel nodded in understanding. Chiding himself at the thought of how enjoyable the feeling of Sebastian's hand was.

"What else can you do? Can…" He hesitated. "Can you make people see you?"

"We can only make ourselves visible to one human at a time."

"Oh."

They continued to walk. Ciel went straight towards the front door.

"What about breakfast?"

"I really just need to take a walk."

Sebastian's eyes narrowed as he watched Ciel. They walked in silence to a nearby park.

"You have many things on your mind."

"Wow, you are on a roll today."

"Ciel."

"Look, we're just going to spend the day taking a breather and playing 20 questions, demon edition. That number being an estimate, of course."

The day was a warm and pleasant one. Ciel watched as a bird flew off a tree branch.

"Do you… have a demon name or something?" His voice came out slightly strained. Sebastian chuckled, which made the boy raise an eyebrow.

"No. I did not lie to you on that day you gave me my name. My kind can recognize each other by their essence so we have no need for them."

"Good to know…" That fact made him kind of glad, but it annoyed him that Sebastian could tell that it did.

They walked past a leaf pile and Ciel wondered how long ago would he have jumped into it. Long.

"How old are you?" There was silence at this. Ciel looked at the serious expression Sebastian had suddenly acquired. The boy shook his head. "Forget it. I don't want to know."

"Too old for you, that's for sure." Sebastian smirked. Ciel scowled.

"Very funny!"

Although the atmosphere had never been awkward to begin with, Ciel suddenly felt much more at ease.

"Do you really not have a birthday?"

"No. I was also never a child. When I came into existence I was as I am now."

"That explains why you're so immature."

The questions continued. They spent the afternoon talking and taking time to put thoughts in order. Ciel got tired soon and he sat down under a tree, Sebastian standing near him.

"What are you doing there? You can sit now, can't you?"

Sebastian blinked in surprise before regaining neutrality.

"Force of habit, I suppose."

So he took a seat next to Ciel, his own back against the tree's trunk.

"How you like being able to touch things?"

"It has been… interesting."

"Well that's a lame description."

For the first time in the day they let the subject stray. They spoke casually and argued for some time before Sebastian noticed how much Ciel was yawning.

"You are tired. This is a suitable place for a nap."

The boy found no reason to argue.

"Alright, since I have a pillow now." He moved until he was in the right position to lay his head on Sebastian's lap. The demon watched the boy's face as he slowly drifted to sleep. He carefully lay a hand over Ciel's shoulder. Both the boy and the demon's faces were peaceful.

Then a sharp frown set on Sebastian's face. He looked up and narrowed his eyes as he sensed a presence that had started to become familiar.

"He's mine." The demon called out, each word pronounced loud and clear, echoing through the trees. The wind softly blew, and the presence went away.

The boy on his lap gave a light groan. Sebastian's face softened as he looked down.

"Hm…Sebastian? Were you yelling at someone?" Ciel asked, half asleep.

"Yes, but he is gone. I'm sorry to have disturbed you."

"It's ok. I'm glad he's gone. I don't want anyone here but you." The boy buried his face against Sebastian's leg. "I'm glad I can touch you..."

The demon chuckled, knowing the boy would have no memory of saying that when he awoke.

* * *

><p>Ciel rubbed his eyes as they kept walking.<p>

"That was such a good nap."

"I am glad to have proven a good pillow."

"Yes. Feel proud."

Suddenly, Ciel sneezed, which made Sebastian frown. As the boy rubbed his nose, the demon disappeared from his side for a second.

"You're supposed to say bless you." Ciel muttered, not realizing he was actually speaking to thin air for once.

Then he felt a soft fabric wrap itself around his shoulders. Ciel blinked in surprise as he realized it was a scarf.

"We don't want your asthma acting up again." He heard Sebastian's voice next to his ear.

Ciel lifted his hands onto the scarf and frowned as his senses were flooded by a very particular scent.

"You took this from someone, didn't you?" The boy said disapprovingly.

"You needed it more."

"It stinks of Axe deodorant."

It was a bit past lunchtime already. Sebastian turned to the boy.

"We should start heading back, it is getting cold."

Ciel hummed in agreement, burring his face against the warm fabric. Sebastian watched him, and soon Ciel felt the demon's arm leaning against his own. Ciel couldn't help smirking at the image of Sebastian acting like a mother hen.

"You do realize that you release no body heat whatsoever?" He teased.

"You're right. In that case-"

"No!" The boy said too quickly, blushing as he looked away. "You block the wind so it's not entirely useless."

A small smile appeared on Sebastian's lips.

"As you wish."

"Shut up."

* * *

><p>Back at the Phantomhive household, Ciel warmed up the lunch Mey rin had made for him. He took a seat on the kitchen table and lifted an eyebrow at Sebastian.<p>

"You're not sitting."

"I'm not eating, so there would be no point."

"Right, I forgot to ask. Do demons ever eat?"

Something in Sebastian's eyes changed, and Ciel immediately knew that the answer would be a complicated one…

Which they had no time to talk about as Ciel's mother entered the house.

"Hi, sweetie! Did you have a good day at school?" The woman asked cheerfully as she walked into the kitchen. Ciel was glad that she seemed to have her mental faculties intact for the night.

"Same old." He lied, not feeling up to making excuses. Mrs. Phantomhive was about to near her son for a hug when she noticed his eye patch.

"Why are you wearing that?"

"I accidentally punched myself. It's a long story that I'd rather not go into." Ciel heard Sebastian snicker, which made him silently promise to actually punch the demon later.

The woman's eyes widened.

"Is it bad? It must be if you are willing to wear a part of a pirate costume! We'll have it checked out by a doctor tomorrow."

Ciel frowned.

"That will not be necessary. I would rather use a medical patch, but this was all I had lying around."

"Ciel Phantomhive you have no authority to be the judge of an injury! We need to make sure it isn't anything serious!"

The boy felt a second of panic before sudden anger replaced it.

"No, mother. Neither you nor anyone else is going to look at my eye. Think of it as your way of finally repaying for what happened on that night…" His voice was hard and cold.

His mother went pale, looking suddenly ill.

"O-ok." She stood up and turned away, muffling a sniff. She stopped for a second. "I-I'm sorry, Ciel." Then she went upstairs to her room.

There was silence in the kitchen. Ciel looked at his half eaten food and knew he would not be able to stomach any more.

"Here." Sebastian took the plate away. In seconds he had cleared and washed it. "Would you like to go to bed now?"

Ciel nodded tiredly. Slowly, they walked up the stairs to the boy's room. Mindlessly, Ciel got undressed and just threw on the biggest t-shirt he could find before dragging himself onto bed. He took off his eye patch and set it on his nightstand.

"I can't believe I used that against her…" He finally whispered.

"You knew it would work. It was the right choice."

The boy stared at the eye patch as he couldn't help remembering that night…

_He was up late watching movies with Sebastian. That specific occasion had been the first (and last time) they ever saw Twilight. _

_Ciel pointed at Edward as he stood over Bella's bed._

"_That's you." He told Sebastian._

"_What? Why?"_

"_You watch me while I sleep! It's supposed to be creepy!"_

"_Why?"_

"_It just is!"_

"_Is it?"_

"_Wha- never mind."_

_They continued watching. Ciel laughed and commented on something that seemed particularly stupid. Distracted, he didn't notice his mother come in until he felt a pair of arms wrap around his neck._

"_Your laugh is so beautiful. I wish you'd laugh that way for me." Her breath smelled heavily of alcohol. _

"_M-mom!" Ciel stuttered, uncomfortable at seeing his mother in such a state. She didn't seem to hear him._

"_But I'm only good for making you unhappy, aren't I?" _

_Ciel was speechless, eyes wide in shock at her words. His mother suddenly whispered into his ear. _

"…_**He's**__ here isn't he?"_

_A chill ran down Ciel's spine. They hadn't touched the subject of Sebastian since the day Ciel had run away from the therapist. It had frightened his mother greatly, so she had decided to stop forcing him to go so as to not make him unhappy. Ciel thought that meant everything would be ok, but his mother began to distance herself from him like she had before. She was hardily ever home and it seemed as if she got there later and later every time. _

_Eventually he realized that the extra noise she made at night was because she was drunk. He made sure to sleep early every day. Years had gone on that way, and Ciel had almost forgotten about it. _

_She tightened her hold and cried onto his neck._

"_My poor baby! I left you all alone and now you're all messed up!"_

_His chest clenched in pain._

"_I'm such a bad mother. I should have taken better care of you. I should have gotten you help sooner instead of taking advantage of your problem so I could have free time."_

_Ciel felt like he was being punched with every sentence. His mother's tears made his own eyes begin to burn. _

_Then he caught sight of Sebastian, who gave him a deep look. Ciel willed himself to get lost in those red eyes and let his mother's cries rush past him. _

"_I wanted to be here for you but I c-cant. I can hardily look at you sometimes… it's all my fault. I'm sorry…I'm so sorry…"_

"Ciel." The boy sighed, looking away from the eye patch and up toward Sebastian, who looked concerned. "It is not good to duel too much in bad memories. "

"I know. " He turned onto his back and stared at the ceiling before willing his eyes to close. "Goodnight, Sebastian.'

The demon stayed silent as he watched Ciel drift to sleep. Slowly he neared the boy, daring to sit at the edge of his bed.

A hand reached towards Ciel's head, gently petting his hair. Experimentally, Sebastian moved his hand down to the boy's face, cupping his cheek. He felt warm and soft. Ciel leaned into the touch, which made Sebastian's eyes soften.

"I too am glad I can touch you."

* * *

><p>The next morning, Ciel groaned as he gained consciousness. He felt ridiculously tired. The boy was literally incapable of opening his eyes or moving his limbs.<p>

"Good morning, Ciel." He heard Sebastian's voice. The boy tried to respond but his mind was too clouded for that. Ciel felt hands carefully grip his shoulders and sit him up until he was leaning against the bed's headboard. "It is natural that you feel this way. Our contract drains a lot of energy from you. I believe it is during the morning when you will feel its effects." Ciel weakly tried to open his eyes. "Relax. I will handle everything."

Ciel felt as Sebastian's hands removed his shirt and began to dress him for school. The boy let himself be moved like a rag doll, suddenly remembering those few years when his mother used to dress him up.

_Right… this is what it feels… being cared for… _

Ciel was finally able to open his eyes a slit, right on time to see Sebastian near him with a hairbrush. The boy closed his eyes again as he basked on the feeling of the comb passing through his hair.

Once Sebastian finished, Ciel opened them again, watching as the demon set the tool onto the nightstand then turn back to Ciel with his eyepatch in hand. As Sebastian tied it behind Ciel's head, he caught the boy's sleepy eye and smiled. Once done, he pulled back and extended his arms. Relief flooded the boy as he extended them back and let himself be carried bridal style, hooking his arms around Sebastian's neck and burying his face against the demon's chest.

"I'm so tired…"

"I know."

As they walked down the hall, Ciel realized something.

"Won't it be weird… if someone sees me floating…"

"I woke you earlier than usual. Your mother is asleep and Mey rin is not yet here."

Ciel hummed against the fabric of Sebastian's shirt.

When they reached the kitchen, Sebastian sat the boy at the table. Ciel tried to blink the dreariness out of his eyes but failed. He let his eyes close again and instead listened as Sebastian began to move things around in the kitchen. Soon he heard something being set on the table.

"This is something I've honestly wanted to try my hand at for some time now." Sebastian voiced. Ciel opened his eyes and saw a cup of tea before him. "I've seen people make it all over the world. It has caffeine, it will help awaken you."

Sebastian returned to work. Slowly, the boy lifted his arm and slipped his fingers through the cup handle. He neared it to his face and was enveloped by a strong scent.

"It smells good…"

"I am glad."

Ciel took a sip and almost gasped at how good it was. The flavor was followed by a warm feeling that spread all the way to his stomach. It made him suddenly feel happy and awake.

"Sebastian…"

"Hm?"

"Thanks."

The demon smiled before turning back to his work.

"Breakfast will be done soon too."

Ciel was finally able to keep his eyes open. He watched as Sebastian moved from one side of the kitchen to the other, cracking eggs and whatnot. Then the boy realized something.

"Wait… where did you get those groceries from?"

"I took some measures that you might not agree with."

"Sebastian!" Ciel scowled, thinking the worse.

"Don't worry, I did not steal them. Not from the store, anyway. I waited until someone came out of the shop then I quickly slipped money into their pocket and took their things. No harm done."

Ciel stared at him incredulously.

"When did this happen?"

"Earlier today. Sorry I had to leave your side, although I'm sure you did not even notice."

Ciel looked down at his cup of tea and wondered what he was supposed to feel about this.

"We'll figure out a better system later."

"I don't see what's wrong with it. All they have to do is go to the store again."

Ciel sighed in defeat but he couldn't help give a slight smile as he sipped his drink.

"Here." Sebastian brought the food and Ciel actually gasped. It was scrambled eggs with various fancy vegetables, beefsteak, beans, 2 pieces of toast with jam, and a bowl of fruit.

"T-this is…"

"I made sure to have a proper doses of fruits, vegetables, and proteins to make up for your poor diet from these last couple of days." Ciel was speechless for a second before eagerly digging in. "Slow down." Sebastian chided. Ciel swallowed and gave a small laugh.

"Sorry." More calmly now, he continued. Sebastian kept moving around and Ciel wondered what he was doing, that was when a certain smell hit him. "There's something sweet in the air."

"Oh, you noticed. I wanted it to be a surprise." Sebastian moved to the oven and turned on the apparatus's inner light to reveal a chocolate cake.

Ciel's mouth was wide open. Then he spoke out in joy.

"You made me cake!"

"It is almost done but it needs to cool in the fridge, so you can have it after school today."

"Yeah!" Ciel's eyes were practically sparkling. Sebastian silently congratulated himself.

Ciel was glad he had been able to take the morning slow, considering how tired he was. He felt a lot better already, nearing normality.

Ciel was able to relax as he cheerfully watched Sebastian take out the cake and let it cool for a bit before decorating it with chocolate icing.

"It's devil's food cake." He clarified.

"That seems fitting for my life."

Sebastian put the cake in the fridge with a little note that said: Do not touch. He was about to start washing the dishes but stopped at the sound of the door opening and Mey rin entering the house.

"Oh! Young Master! You are already awake! And made breakfast!" She was so shocked and confused that Ciel almost felt bad for her.

"Hi, Mey rin. I just felt like waking up early today."

Sebastian stood by his side as he finished eating. Ciel noticed and began signing.

_Sit down._

_No need._ Sebastian signed back. Although he could talk without anyone hearing, it was more likely that Ciel would accidentally talk back if he did.

_Yes need! Don't be annoying about it!_

_I would need to move the chair and it would make noise._

_It's Mey rin! She's not the sharpest tool in the shed. _

_If you insist._ (Sebastian had actually insisted on creating a single sign that meant that sentence since, according to him, he constantly disagrees with Ciel's judgment).

Sebastian grabbed one of the chairs and pulled it back a bit. Mey rin turned around thinking Ciel was standing up but found the boy sitting in the same position.

"Huh? That was weird." She went back to her work as Ciel forced himself not to laugh. He turned to Sebastian who was now sitting next to him.

_Was that so hard?_ He signed cheerfully.

_Unnecessary_. The demon insisted.

They talked for a while more until it was time to go to school.

_Glad it's Friday. Hope I didn't miss too much yesterday. _

_If you did it's still your fault._

_If anything it's your fault!_

_For being a demon?_

_For not telling me sooner._

_Are we going to talk about this again?_

_No. Let's get going. _

Ciel stood up and stretched before going to search for his backpack.

"It's in the living room." Sebastian said. Ciel went to get it. When he returned, Mey rin had his lunch ready.

"Thanks." He said before walking towards the door. Once they were alone, Ciel sighed. "I'm glad I didn't see my mom in the morning but… I think a part of me did want to see her. I'm not sure for what… I don't know if there actually is anything I should be feeling bad about."

"It is in situations like this where I find no pity for the other party, therefore I am not a good advisor since I will always be on your side."

"I guess it's something I need to think about, then."

It felt strange to be heading to school on time. It would still take 20 minutes for the first bell to ring. Ciel calmly walked down the street towards the familiar building, when he suddenly felt himself being pulled back and slammed against the ground.

"Phantomhive _scum_." It was that idiot boy of always, but there was something different this time. His tone was sharper and there was something dangerous about the look in his eyes. "Do you know what happened yesterday? That son of a bitch of your father bought my father's company. Is that why you didn't go to school yesterday? You were busy celebrating?"

Ciel had no idea what he was talking about but he didn't like the way that boy was standing over him.

"I'm going to make you pay… " The boy took a step forward, Ciel's eyes widening. In a second, though, the boy had been thrown to the ground; Sebastian standing where he had been.

"You will not touch him again." Sebastian said calmly but coldly. The black haired boy stood up in confusion.

"W-what the fuck? What did you do?"

Ciel only saw a blur of black before he heard the boy yell in pain and appear on the ground once more, this time with his arm at a weird angle and nose covered in blood.

Then Ciel felt hands grip his waist and lift him carefully.

"Are you alright? I'm sorry. I don't know how I didn't notice him behind us."

"It's fine. I don't think I'll even be late for school." He turned to the boy pitifully cursing and crying on the ground. He walked towards him.

"Ciel." Sebastian said with a warning tone. The blue eyed boy looked down at the black haired one.

"I don't know anything about what happened with your father's company. I am not involved with my father's business in any way. For that, I am sorry." Ciel began. Sebastian lifted an eyebrow. "But… you have been a nuisance since I started going to this school, so I tell you now that this is a warning: never mess with a Phantomhive."

Ciel turned away and began walking towards the school building once more. Sebastian's lip curled.

"Now that's more like it."

* * *

><p><strong>I don't know if you've noticed, but I'm making up demon rules here! <strong>

**This chapter was more on the casual side, figuring stuff out and all that. There'll be some real action in the next one!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Ok! So I thought I'd take a moment to chat about some of the things you guys have mentioned in your reviews! **

**Paxloria! Your comment was very interesting! The answer is a bit complicated though.**

**There are 2 parts to that answer. The more simple part is that Ciel is used to keeping anything related to Sebastian to himself. Remember that usually in therapy he didn't speak at all. He didn't want the therapist to get involved in the first place, he just spoke out in a moment of weakness. He has never tried or wanted to try to prove Sebastian's existence to anyone but himself, and one of the problems is that when it comes to Sebastian he really can't trust himself. **

**The second part to the answer is a bit more complicated. The truth is that there were many ways they could have tried, but even though Ciel wants to know if Sebastian is real, a part of him is too afraid that he isn't real, so he unconsciously never tries too hard. He just kind of lets it go. He doesn't realize it himself, but he never lies awake thinking about different things they could try out he just kinda suffers in silence. **

**Now, for Promocat! Here are 5 fun facts about Ciel's father:**

**1) Only visits around twice a year.**

**2) Visits every other Christmas, misses every birthday.**

**3) Each birthday, sends Ciel a board game (this will be acknowledge later in this chapter). Honestly he just asks his secretary to get something for him, and she isn't very creative.**

**4) The one time he tried to "bond" with his son was when he took him to a work meeting when the boy turned 10, as was mentioned in the previous chapter. He spent the entire time completely ignoring him, which was exactly what Ciel expected, and in preparation for that day was how his and Sebastian's signing system was born.**

**5) Sebastian knew almost nothing about the man until Ciel was around 4 years old (that's 3 years of being practically non existent!) **

**So that's that! Any other thoughts you have I'll be happy to chat about!**

* * *

><p>After school, Ciel was in a particularly good mood. He had been able to spend most classes playing catch with his eraser and Sebastian. He laughed at the memory of his fellow classmates looking confused at the fact that thin air was returning the object to Ciel, before convincing themselves that it was a trick from the light and it was just bouncing off the wall.<p>

"You need to be more careful." Sebastian chided.

"Hey you threw it back!"

"There wasn't much else to do."

They walked past the area where the black haired kid had been.

"I wonder if he'll go to school on monday." Ciel mused.

"If he does, it better be with the right attitude." The demon said with a light yet threatening tone.

"Do you think he'll tell everyone that I beat him up?"

"You are much smaller than him, it would ruin his pride to say that."

"You're probably right." Ciel looked at his arm and felt his not very developed muscles. "Do you think I could take him on?"

"No."

"Sheesh how direct."

Then something changed. Ciel felt a pair of arms around his stomach before he found himself leaping into the air. The boy gasped as he watched the spot of pavement where they had been standing be suddenly crushed to bits.

Ciel concluded that they had just been attacked by the demon Sebastian had warned him about.

Sebastian landed on a tree branch, quickly getting a better hold of Ciel. The boy threw his arms around the demon's neck, not surprised when Sebastian jumped again, seconds before the tree branch was destroyed.

This repeated itself two more times before Sebastian stopped moving. Ciel lifted his head, heartbeat fast, as he tried to see what Sebastian was looking at.

Dust from the destruction was floating around. Out of it, a silhouette emerged. Sebastian's eyes shone dangerously. He put Ciel down, before stepping before him and shielding him with his arm. The message was clear: stay back.

As the dust cleared, the demon's form was revealed. He looked a bit like Sebastian: same height, hair color, skin tone, and clothes. His face and hairstyle were different, and he was wearing glasses.

The demon was walking towards them, seeming not to care about Sebastian's hostility. He stopped a few meters away from the pair.

Ciel's mind was working in overload. Sebastian had been able to see him before, but now he was allowing Ciel to do the same. Why? And why was he risking a fight?

Then quick as thunder the suspense ended. The demon gave a tiny move which Sebastian mirrored and had them both meeting halfway, engaging in battle. Ciel's eyes widened as he watched. They were sometimes in mid air, sometimes on the ground. Then they began moving from one side to the other until they were out of sight. Ciel just stood there, heart pounding, not knowing what to do or expect.

_Sebastian… Damn it, Sebastian!... Don't you dare let him beat you…_

Then he felt it: like a fan was suddenly blowing at his direction.

Before he realized what that meant, Ciel was knocked to the ground, something… or _someone_… pining him down.

His eyes widened as they register the strange demon's face over his. He let go of one of Ciel's wrists but the boy was just as trapped. The demon slowly let his hand go up Ciel's cheek, the boy pulling away in disgust. He snickered before his fingers took hold of the boy's eye patch. The demon roughly pulled it off, breaking it in the process and exposing Ciel's bright purple eye. The demon's lips curled, which brought a shiver down Ciel's spine.

"Looks like I'm trespassing on someone's territory." He said. He began to pull back his arm up straight, closing the space between his fingers, making a sharp and threatening point over the boy's eye, which widened in horror. "I should make sure to soil it properly."

The arm raced down but was caught inches away from Ciel's eye. A familiar hand had taken hold of the demon's limb and was crushing it in a tight grip. The owner made no sound of pain.

"You really are persistent." He said. In a second, the weight over Ciel was gone and the two demons were fighting again.

Before Ciel had even thought about standing, Sebastian was at his side, helping him up with a concerned look on his face.

"Are you alright?"

"I-I'm fine. Are you?"

A loud and mocking laugh was heard. The pair turned to its source, glaring. Sebastian made sure Ciel was standing stable before he gave a step forward and extended his arm, shielding the boy once more.

"Look at this! How _touching_. A demon and a human: _caring_ about each other. I can't help but think that it means someone doesn't know something important." The demon smirked and looked directly at Sebastian. "Have you not told him?"

Ciel didn't want to listen to what this stranger was saying, but doubt crept into his mind.

"Sebastian?"

He said nothing. The demon chuckled at his silence.

"I would have never expected this. You'd rather risk everything you've worked for than to lie. You must respect him very much... or maybe you are just foolish." The demon then turned his attention to Ciel. "There is only one reason why demons come to earth…" His smile showed his teeth. "… to feed."

Ciel felt his blood run cold.

"And what is it that we eat? Well human souls, of course!" The demon said cheerfully. Ciel's eyes were wide. He didn't notice he was shaking until he realized his own voice was too.

"W-what?..." He turned to look at Sebastian, who was giving the demon before him a look of pure and absolute hatred.

"Oh it gets better! Do you know why demons mark humans?" He continued with a teasing tone. Ciel felt his hand unconsciously rise to his exposed eye. "It's to "book" their lunch! To make sure no other demon will try to get a taste! I usually respect that, but with you… your soul is just… radiant…." Hunger had set in those eyes. "I am willing to make an exception."

Ciel couldn't believe what he was hearing. His mind couldn't possibly digest it.

"S-sebastian…" He looked at the demon before him, who was avoiding his eye. He was still shielding him with his arm.

_Keeping his lunch secure_

"Sebastian!" Ciel's voice rose in anger and a touch of desperation. The demon's shoulders tensed but beside that there was no response. "Have the _decency_ to try to explain yourself!"

And then it hit him: there was nothing to explain.

"… it's true, isn't it?" Ciel whispered looking down, suddenly feeling an overwhelming amount of emotions. He couldn't breath. He couldn't stay there a second longer.

The boy turned around and blindly ran as fast as he could. Immediately, Sebastian's head whipped.

"Ciel!" He called out. He heard a laugh and saw the demon out of the corner of his eye trying to run after the boy, but Sebastian quickly intercepted him.

"Whoops. I think I've caused a bit of a domestic between you two."

An animalistic growl originated from the back of Sebastian's throat. A fight soon broke out.

_It doesn't matter what Ciel thinks of me, only that __**you**__ never reach him._

* * *

><p>Ciel ran, breathing hard, wetness in his eyes. He felt scared, hurt, betrayed, confused, angry, worried. Too much: he was feeling too much.<p>

Too busy with his own thoughts, Ciel paid no heed to the way his running was becoming sluggish and difficult. He only became aware of it when he experienced a sharp pang in his chest that made his knees weaken and had him landing unceremoniously on the ground. He curled onto his side, clutching at his chest in pain. His entire body felt weak, and he felt echoes of hits and slashes…

_It's what Sebastian is feeling._

Ciel's eyes widened.

_Sebastian… who is only after my soul_

_Sebastian… who has been hiding his intentions all these years_

_Sebastian… who is currently fighting for me_

The boy forced himself to stand.

_I don't care why he is doing it. The point is that he __**is**__ fighting for me, and I need to be there. _

Willing himself to stay standing, Ciel moved as fast as he could with his aching body.

"Sebastian…" He muttered.

* * *

><p>Sebastian's breath was slightly heavy. He was feeling something he had not felt in a long time: exhaustion. He knew exactly what the cause was.<p>

He cursed as he felt an echo of emotional turmoil that did not belong to him. He could also feel Ciel moving father and farther away. Sebastian's body was physically disagreeing with it. His movements were slower, his attacks weaker. He felt stretched.

_Our bond it's at its thinnest and most sensitive now. _

The demon before him gave him a particularly strong hit. Sebastian shielded himself with his arms, grunting at the effort, and was barely able to keep himself grounded. His eyes narrowed.

_At this point, Ciel can feel everything I do. I need to be more careful. _

He continued fighting, trying to avoid as much damage as possible. He was about to jump out of the way as he sensed another hit coming his way but suddenly his legs were not responding.

As the impact sent him flying, Ciel felt as if he had suddenly run into a brick wall. He was barely able to catch himself from falling back before forcing himself to keep moving.

_I need to hurry!_

The fight continued, the other demon seeming to be enjoying it quite a lot. Although there were bigger problems at hand, Sebastian was annoyed at not being able to act as nonchalant as he would have liked.

That was when he began to feel his strength returning. A sort of fire had been lit inside of him and he suddenly felt a lot more relaxed and dangerous.

_Ciel is returning._

A smile appeared on Sebastian's face.

"I am going to make you regret ever coming near him." And the battle acquired a new sort of ferocity.

Ciel soon got there, out of breath but forcing himself to yell: _"Sebastian! You better beat him, you bastard!"_

Sebastian's expression gained confidence. His hits were more forceful, and the other demon seemed to be having trouble keeping up. Ciel's heart continued hammering against his chest as he watched the fighting turning into a dark blur, leaving him clueless as to who was injuring who.

A minute later, they both seemed to retreat. Sebastian landed gracefully next to Ciel (who was immediately angry at himself at the amount of relief Sebastian's arrival had brought him). His features were calm yet threatening.

At the opposite end, the other demon seemed more damaged. He half smiled half winced.

"Well this has proven to be as interesting as I thought it'd be. I will admit it is in my best interest to retreat for now." He gave a laugh. "Besides, you two probably have a lot to talk about thanks to me." He turned to Ciel, who glared in return. "See you again soon."

With that, he gave a jump back and disappeared into the darkness. Ciel continued to stare at that spot for some time before letting himself release a breath he had been holding. Although he knew his problems were far from over.

Now the main problem was that he suddenly felt incapable of turning to look at Sebastian. After breathing out, the boy looked down before letting his eyes close.

_Did all this… really happen?_

"Ciel…"

The boy tried hard to stay expressionless, even though his emotions were so twisted and painful that he couldn't even distinguish them. Sebastian had not neared him, and Ciel recognized that he was giving him space to not pressure him. This made the boy clench his fist and curse under his breath.

"Is it true? Are you only after my soul?" Ciel suddenly found his voice. He looked up, and his anger practically vanished when he made eye contact with Sebastian.

The demon's eyes had softened and if Ciel hadn't know better he would have said they even looked a bit pained.

They stayed in silence for a few moments, simply taking the other in. The distance between seemed huge.

"That is the reason why demons come to earth. It is the reason why I came…but…" Something in his voice changed that made Ciel's eyes widen lightly. "It's not the reason why I stayed."

A light smile grazed Sebastian's lips as he continued.

"When I found you all those years ago, it was your soul that captivated me so. It would be hard to explain to a human, but your soul is just… different. At such a young age it was already more valuable than any developed and strong willed adult's, and I was… fascinated." He paused. Ciel was hanging onto his every word. "I thought about taking it… but I reasoned that, with time, it would only become something even more extraordinary."

The look that Sebastian was giving him wasn't one of hunger like Ciel would have expected. Instead, it was very near to pure devotion. Ciel wondered what it would be like if he could understand what Sebastian saw in him and whether he would be impressed at all.

"So yes, that is the reason why I came to you. To devour your essence was my only intension… " a distant look set on the demon's face which took Ciel by surprise. "I never planned to stay by your side for so many years. I did not even realize it at first... time is nothing for my kind... it was when... in your first achievements... much before you had even a consciousness... you would turn to look at me with pride…" Now Sebastian's gaze was deep in Ciel's own, and the boy felt suddenly tired. "That was when I knew that I had made a terrible mistake, because now I was stuck. I suddenly knew I would not be able to leave you."

Ciel's eyes were almost half closed.

"So you see, it was for your soul that I came, but it was for _you_ that I stayed. I wont deny that my nature is at every moment yearning to consume you, and that surely a day will come when I can no longer hold myself back."

Although his words were morbid, Ciel felt unaffected by them. Suddenly Sebastian fell on one knee, head bowed, eyes closed, hand over his chest.

"Until that day, please let me stay by your side."

Ciel stared at him for a long time.

_You're literally asking for permission to kill me..._ He felt so emotionally drained that he thought he might never be angry or sad again.

"Ok."

Sebastian looked up with slight surprise (and concern) in his eyes. Ciel shrugged weakly, his head lolling to the side a bit.

"If it's my soul you want, it's yours." The boy looked up, dazed. "I have no use for it anyway."

"Ciel…" Sebastian's tone was disagreeing. He slowly stood up and dared to take a step closer to the boy.

"No, I'm serious." Ciel seemed to regain some spirit. "My mother abandoned me for alcohol, and I can count the number of times I´ve seen my father in the last 2 years with one hand." Ciel shook his head at himself. "but the truth is…I've never been alone a day in my life."

The boy looked at the demon, who in turn seemed shocked.

"So if a soul is what that costs, then it's fine by me." Ciel concluded nonchalantly. He began to walk away. "Let's go home; that cake has been waiting for me long enough."

Soon, Ciel felt Sebastian walking at his side once more. He saw the demon's shadow falling over him and he knew that even though it should be threatening, after so many years it simply never would be.

* * *

><p>The moment they reached the Phantomhive residence, Ciel headed straight for the kitchen. He stopped when he noticed a medical patch waiting for him on the table.<p>

"Mother…" He murmured. She was not at home. Probably trying to avoid him, Ciel reasoned. He took it gently between his hands and stared at it for a moment before Sebastian wordlessly extended his hand. Ciel gave it to him and allowed for the patch to be set over his eye and tied behind his head.

Once done, Ciel took a seat at the table. He let his arms flop onto it and laid his cheek against the cool surface.

"I'll serve a slice for you."Sebastian said, referring to the cake.

"Make it big."

Ciel listened to Sebastian take out a plate from the kitchen counter. The sound was one so common in a household, so monotonous, but to Ciel it was still so rare and important because it was _Sebastian_ who was causing it. The sound of a plate gently coming in contact with the table made Ciel blink out of his daze. He slowly sat up and stared at the perfect and beautiful dessert before him. The sight was almost too much for his tired heart to bear.

"Let's watch a movie." Ciel said, taking the plate from the table and walking towards the living room.

Sebastian wanted to advice against it, thinking about Ciel's recent problems with his mother, but he knew that the boy needed the distraction.

"Don't forget about sitting again." Ciel said as he found his place on the couch. Sebastian paused for a moment before taking a seat next to the boy.

Stopping at the first movie channel, Ciel mindlessly stared at the screen. He cut a piece of cake with his fork and put it into his mouth. Immediately the boy stopped, looking down at the dessert. Sebastian watched as a small smile appeared on Ciel's face.

"It's delicious. I can proudly state that I sold my soul for cake."

"Ciel…"

"Shut up. I'm not complaining." He continued to eat, turning back to the movie. Sebastian watched him for a moment before staring at the screen himself.

Neither was paying attention to the movie and they were both aware of it, but the background noise was nice and gave the day a sense of normality that had been truly missed.

Once Ciel finished his cake, he set the plate on the floor. He noticed that Sebastian seemed to have the intention of standing and taking it to the kitchen, so Ciel let his head fall onto the demon's lap, efficiently making him stay sitting.

"He looked like you." The boy spoke, finally giving up on watching the movie. He felt Sebastian's hand land lightly on his waist.

"Lack of imagination."

"Huh?" Ciel looked up curiously, seeing Sebastian's face upside-down.

"A demon can take many forms. We only ever use our true form in extremely dire battles. It is obvious that demon copied my form and added a few changes."

"He was even wearing your same clothes. Although the glasses were a nice touch."

"I dislike him." Sebastian's tone was hard. "I'm disgusted by the idea of you being touched by another, specially a demon. He's also trying to take you away from me, and that I will never forgive."

There was silence as both boy and demon thought of the same implication.

"He could touch me…"

"Yes."

"Then that means… he's made a contract with a human." That statement was followed by silence.

Ciel let the buzzing of the television lull him to sleep. He was, after all, on a very comfortable pillow.

As Ciel fell asleep, Sebastian found himself focusing on the boy instead of the TV screen. He let his unoccupied arm gently wrap itself around Ciel's head. He pressed his lips to it, inhaling his essence and loosing himself in it for a moment.

* * *

><p>Not truly awake, Ciel struggled with his sheets as he moved in bed. Once on his back, he couldn't help weakly opening his eyes. Feeling terribly disorientated, Ciel looked around his room and realized it was empty. A hit of panic went through him before Sebastian's form suddenly appeared.<p>

"I'm sorry, Ciel. I was in the kitchen." The demon sounded concerned, but all worries had evaporated from the boy. His body relaxed and his eyes began to close. He felt a hand land lightly on his head. "It's Saturday, go back to sleep."

Ciel hummed in response before allowing himself to be taken once more by slumber.

* * *

><p>The next time Ciel woke up, he was much more conscious. He groaned as he noticed once again how achy and tired his body felt. Usually what he experienced was simply an intense lack of energy, but this time it was much more physical. It was as if he had intensely worked out the day before.<p>

"How are you feeling?"

Ciel's eyes fluttered open to look at Sebastian, but they quickly closed once more. He opened his mouth to answer but only a weak sound came out which would have embarrassed him if he had been in his right mind. Sebastian gave him a sad smile. Ciel then felt fingers expertly massaging at his shoulders. The boy's body went limp with relief.

"As I suspected. Yesterday's battle has taken a toll on your body, specially at that point when our bond was so stretched and sensitive." As he spoke, he continued to move his hands, going down Ciel's arms and legs, squeezing with just the right amount of pressure.

The pain was a lot better soon. The boy slowly opened his eyes once more and willed himself to keep them that way.

"What time is it?…"

"One o´clock."

"I can't remember the last time I woke up so late."

"2 years ago, after the neighbor's new dog wouldn't let you sleep." Sebastian said casually. He was moving back up again, focusing on a specifically painful area around the boy's shoulders. Ciel thought about the demon's comment.

"Can you… remember everything that's ever happened to you?"

Sebastian nodded. With one final squeeze, he moved away from the bed to pick Ciel's clothing for the day. He returned and carefully sat the still weary boy up.

"Then tell me something…" Ciel said, trying to blink the sleep out of his eyes.

"Like what?" Sebastian pulled the boy's shirt over his head.

Ciel thought about it for a bit as Sebastian continued to dress him.

"Tell me about… the day I named you."

Sebastian hummed in response.

"You had just turned 3. It happened a few months before you asked me about my birthday. You had never had the need to call me by a name since the only thing you needed to do to get my attention was look up, but that day you had been introduced to Mey Rin, so I suppose it was when you realized that everyone probably had a name. You looked up at me and with your childish grace, asked me that peculiar question. I told you that you could give me one if you'd like."

"So it was your idea…" Ciel mused, wishing he could remember. Sebastian began to straighten the boy's collar.

"You didn't hesitate for a moment: you knew exactly what that name should be." The demon suddenly chuckled. "At first I didn't understand what you said, you may not remember but you had quite a hard time pronouncing the letter S…" Ciel blushed. "After I asked you to repeat the name once more I realized that Eba-tian was actually Sebastian."

He began to brush the boy's hair.

"I was quite curious about why you had chosen that name, specially when you were so bad at pronouncing it." Ciel watched Sebastian as he continued. "I asked if it was your father's name. It's probably no surprise that he was as distant before as he is now so I did not know much about him." A slight bitterness took over his tone. "Although I must admit that if you had named me after him I would be quite unhappy today." His tone returned to normal. "But at that point, it was the conclusion I had come to." Ciel was startled by the sudden teasing smile that appeared on the demon's face. "And what did you answer? You smiled very widely and said that it was the name of your dog."

Ciel was quiet for a moment before he found himself with his hands over his cheeks and his eyes wide with realization like the painting of the scream.

"Sebastian! Oh my God! That was the name of my aunt's dog that had just died!"

After the initial shock, the boy began to laugh. He laughed hard and heartily and the sound left Sebastian watching with a smile of his own. It was the first time in a while that Ciel had laughed like that, and it had them both feeling glad.

Once he had calmed down, Sebastian offered his arms to the boy. Ciel shook his head.

"It's already afternoon so my mother is here. It would be safer to walk."

"If you insist."

Sebastian helped him stand up, which was a lot harder than Ciel thought possible. Walking was at another level entirely, with his movement unsteady and his body feeling so heavy.

"Has the hall always been this long?" The boy muttered as he made his way to the kitchen with difficulty.

"The consequences of being rich."

"And having a contract with a demon."

"Yes, that too."

After what seemed like an eternity, Ciel caught sight of his mother sitting at the kitchen table. The moment he entered, she looked up and greeted him eagerly.

"G-good morning, sweetie!"

The boy found a soft smile on his face. He was glad that there wouldn't be any hostility between them.

"Good morning…" That was when dark corners crept into his vision, his body drained from the walk. He began to fall to the side, his mother suddenly standing with a slightly panicked look.

Sebastian quickly caught him, letting the boy lean on him lightly.

Mrs. Phantomhive just saw that Ciel had stopped falling but was not actually standing straight, which confused her. Before she could think about it more though, the boy blinked the darkness from his vision and regained his footing.

He took a seat next to his mother, who still looked lightly concerned, before greeting Mey rin.

"What's for breakfast?"

"I'm making p-pancakes! I k-know I make a mess of them sometimes b-but this time it'll work out for sure!" She said with determination.

"I bought groceries." His mother explained, her voice soft. Ciel knew she had done that out of guilt. That reminded him of something.

"Thank you for the eye patch." He said cordially. With that, they looked away and spoke no more of the subject.

Ciel was distracted by the sound of Mey Rin cooking. It was obvious that she was losing control of the process.

Right when she hit the bowl with the mix with her left elbow, and the process of turning around to try and catch it made her hit the pan's handle with her right elbow, Sebastian caught both items and placed them in their respective locations in a heartbeat. Mey Rin stood there, panicked and confused, while Ciel tried really hard not to laugh.

Miraculously (_cough_, Sebastian, _cough_), the pancakes came to be. Ciel happily added lots of butter and syrup to his.

"Get some fruit too."

Ciel pointedly ignored Sebastian as he cut a particularly large and gooey piece and stuffed it into his mouth.

After breakfast, Ciel didn't really feel like going outside. He signed to Sebastian that he was tired and wanted to head back to his room.

Once they were out of earshot, Ciel stretched as he spoke.

"Maybe I'll take a nap."

"You've slept too much today already."

"Yeah I guess you're right." The boy yawned. Sebastian looked at him, worried.

"Are you truly that exhausted?"

"Nah, I'm just feeling lazy."

The moment they entered the room, Ciel's eyes landed on an old board game peaking out from under his bed. He seemed to regain his energy all of a sudden.

"Let's play with that!" He quickly ran to it and began setting it up. "I'll finally give these things some use!" Although Ciel sounded happy, Sebastian knew how much history and anger was behind those words.

Every year on his birthday, Ciel's father would send him a board game. The boy would always receive it with a neutral look, but at night he would angrily hit his pillow and cry.

Sebastian heard an echo of a younger Ciel yelling.

"_I don't want these stupid board games! I don't have anyone to play with!" _

"Sebastian! Sit down!" Ciel was on his knees, looking up at the demon. It reminded Sebastian of those younger years even more.

He knelt down as well, on the opposite side of the board. Ciel took out all the pieces and parts that constructed the game.

"How do you play?"

"No idea!" Ciel exclaimed. Sebastian watched him as he read the instructions. The boy hummed. "It's simple, actually! Look!..."

They tired out different games for around and hour before finally settling down on Monopoly. Sebastian stared yearningly at a different game.

"Why not Pictureka?"

"Because your creepy demon eyes can see the whole board at once so it's not fair."

"That's why it's fun."

"You suck."

As they played, they started talking about the demon.

"We need to think about what to do next, don't we?" Ciel asked. Sebastian nodded.

"We have two options before us. One would be to wait for him to attack again and for us to keep fighting him, but that would not be advisable."

"Why?"

"Time is not a factor for a demon. We can hold grudges for centuries and feel like they happened yesterday."

"Sheesh."

"We have to take a more direct course of action. Maybe search him out and propose a final battle to the death."

Ciel frowned at that.

"That is not a good plan at all." He threw the dice and moved his piece, lost in thought. "What if we search his human out? If we break their bond it'll make him weaker, no?"

"His human was not there when we were fighting."

"I thought so… what does that mean? And how is that possible? I mean, we became weakened when distanced, so why would he not bring his human with him?"

"I'm thinking that their bond is different from ours. Weaker. It affects them less."

"Maybe… the human doesn't even know he's been marked…"

"That is not possible. To form a contract, the human must agree on it too."

That surprised Ciel. They were both silent as they each thought of different things.

"During our fight," Sebastian began. "I noticed that I am actually stronger than he is. What made us even, though, is that I have not done any fighting in 13 years. It is nothing for a demon, but it did all the difference yesterday." Ciel couldn't help feeling a little guilty all of a sudden."If we can break his bond, then it is likely I will be able to defeat him."

"Then it's settled. We'll go search for Claude's human."

Sebastian, who was about to move his piece, froze.

"…Claude?"

"Well yeah. We can't keep calling him "demon". It's confusing."

Sebastian's face darkened, as he finally finished his move. Ciel noticed his expression.

"What's with you?"

"Nothing."

* * *

><p>Sebastian leaped from one building to the other, one hand holding onto Ciel as the boy sat on his arm.<p>

They were trying to track down Claude's human by searching out the demon's essence. Sebastian would've rather not brought Ciel along, but the boy had reasoned that a human would most likely listen to another human.

"You don't think Claude will be with this person?" Ciel asked. Sebastian's nose wrinkled lightly, as if he had tasted something sour.

"I could find…Claude… if I wanted to, but since that is not our goal I'm staying away from his complete scent. What I'm currently following is a lighter form of his scent, which I presume is the marked human. They are currently not together."

"I wonder why…"

"Hm?"

"Well… if this person accepted to be marked, then there must be a reason. We'll need to understand their bond if we want to convince the human to break it."

They continued their journey, already quite away from home. Finally, Sebastian lowered himself to jumping from trees instead of buildings, and Ciel knew they were close.

The demon stopped at a tree in the courtyard of a large home.

"It's him." Sebastian motioned to a young boy with blonde hair and blue eyes who was siting on an outdoor table. He had a book in his hands, but seemed to be distracted.

"He wont be able to see you, right?"

"Correct."

Sebastian gave a final jump onto the ground and set Ciel down. The blonde did not even noticed.

"We don't know how he might react, also we are sort of trespassing, so stay alert." Ciel whispered before turning towards their target.

As Ciel neared him, he noticed they were similar of age. He stopped right before the blonde, but he was still unseen. Ciel looked at Sebastian for a second, who shrugged. Ciel turned back to the boy with some frustration.

"Hey! You!" He called out, suddenly at a loss of what to say. That was enough to snap the blonde out of his thoughts. He quickly sat up and looked at Ciel.

His eyes widened in what seemed like awe. Confused, Ciel couldn't do anything as the blonde sat up with excitement and threw his arms around the shorter boy.

"It's you! It's really you! Ciel Phantomhive!" This statement shocked both Ciel and Sebastian. The blonde pulled away to look at the other's face for a moment before a cheery laugh escaped his lips. "Look at you! You're so cute!" He hugged him again. His voice suddenly a whisper in Ciel's ear. "No wonder he wants you so bad…"

This made him snap out of his shock and violently push the blonde away. Immediately he felt Sebastian pull him back and take a light step before him.

The blonde gave a small laugh behind his hand.

"Sorry, sorry. Let's do this again, shall we? My name is Alois Trancy."

Ciel frowned, stepping around Sebastian.

"Trancy?" The name sounded familiar. That was when he remembered it as one of his father's competitors. As Ciel looked around the courtyard they were currently in he realized it was huge. This boy was also filthy rich.

_What's with demons and rich people! _Ciel thought in sudden annoyance. He forced himself to focus.

"Anyway! If you know me, then you understand why I'm here! Your demon is after me!" He said, frustration obvious in his tone.

"I know that." Alois's smile twitched, and he looked away. "I know that…"

There was silence as Ciel tried to seize up the boy before him, but there was too much he didn't know. The blonde knew his demon was after someone and he was ok with that? _Was_ he ok with that? Had he been forced into the contract?

That was a place to start.

"Alois…" Ciel began. The blonde looked up at him. "Why did you form the contract?" It was not until those words left his mouth that he realized how personal that question could be. He needed the answer though, and he really hoped he wouldn't need to resort to force to get it.

"I do owe you this, don't I?" The blonde said with a sad smile. So he wasn't all that happy with the situation. Alois looked at the sky with a distant look on his face. Ciel listened carefully.

"He saved me… my father… was a bad man. He offered me safety in exchange for… helping him get someone…" His eyes landed on Ciel, who felt a shiver run through him. "He changed my life so drastically. I was finally free. I would have done anything for him."

The look in Alois's eyes slapped Ciel with a sudden realization. Ciel forced himself not to think about it.

"You need to stop him."

"I can't."

"I need your help."

"I know…" The blonde hesitated. "I just… I can't…"

"He's never going to leave me alone, and you know that. I'll never be able to live in peace." Ciel tried to keep his temper in check. Alois winced.

"I know! But I… I owe him!"

"You don't owe Claude anything! Your soul is already price enough for your freedom!" That was when Ciel realized that maybe the blonde did not know about that. A look of surprise filled Alois's face, but it wasn't for the reason that the younger boy suspected.

"Claude?"

Ciel blinked in confusion.

"Oh… It's just the name I gave him…"

Alois was watching him with an unreadable expression before a soft smiled graced his lips.

"Claude… it fits him…"

Ciel felt that uncomfortable tug at his chest once again. He clenched his fists. Alois sighed.

"I'm sorry about all this... I will help you as much as I can, but I will not break my bond with Claude. I know that is what you want, but it is the one thing I would never be willing to do."

* * *

><p>Ciel and Sebastian were once again jumping through the air, this time towards the Phantomhive mannor. Their trip had not ripped the desired fruits but at least they would not be returning empty handed. There was still an unpleasant feeling lingering in Ciel's chest. Sebastian seemed to sense his discomfort.<p>

"You noticed it too?"

Ciel nodded.

"Alois is in love with Claude…"

"and Claude will dispose of him the moment he has you."

"You don't know that."

They remained silent all the way back home.


	4. Chapter 4

**And the story goes on! **

**BayA16! This is totally an alternate universe since they are in the modern times and all the demon rules are different, but some things will be similar to the anime/manga since they are the same people so they will make some of the same choices and mistakes.**

* * *

><p>Mey Rin's happy humming, which could be heard as she walked into the kitchen, stopped suddenly at the sight of a teapot from which emitted a delightful scent.<p>

"W-what?"

_Did young master do this? Speaking of which… he has been waking up a lot earlier than usual… and **cooking**…_

Her confusion only grew when she saw a beautiful cake, with a few slices missing, on the counter.

"W-what?!"

_Did he learn to bake?! It couldn't have possibly been the mistress! It had to be that… or who could possibly be buying so much cake?!_

She shook her head and decided to focus on preparing breakfast. She opened the fridge, only to see freshly cut turkey slices, full and seasoned corn on the cob, hash browns, and sautéed vegetables.

"_W-what?!" _

Bellow that there were many other different types of cakes.

This time, Mey rin remained silent as she stared at them.

_This can only mean one thing…._

"GAAAAH!" She shrieked with panic."THEY HIRED SOMEONE TO REPLACE MEEEEEEE!"

* * *

><p>Ciel sighed angrily as he stared at his new phone contact: Alois Trancy<p>

"I don't like this plan at all." The blue haired boy stated. A piece of cake, accompanied by a cup of tea, was set before him. Ciel cut a piece with his fork. "This wont make me like it more."

"It is the best course of action we have available for now." Sebastian spoke calmly.

The two boys had exchanged phone numbers before parting. Alois had been able to promise contacting Ciel whenever he had an inkling to Claude's plans. They (aka, Sebastian) then decided that whenever that happened, Ciel would be quickly brought to the Phantomhive residence where Sebastian would stay guarding outside.

"Is it, thought?" Ciel muttered. "I thought being distanced wasn't to our benefit."

"We wont be: you'll simply be behind a wall. It is not far enough to cause any effect. Besides, I'll be able to focus more on the fighting if I know that you are safe."

Ciel clenched his fist.

"I don't like the idea of just being here and doing nothing."

"Oh, you wont be doing nothing." Ciel looked up in surprise. Sebastian gave a teasing smile. "You'll be doing your homework."

"I really hate you."

* * *

><p>Alois was in a positively radiant mood this morning. He couldn't help dance around his room, laughing once in a while, unfazed by Claude's cold gaze.<p>

Yes, Claude, who had been officially named the afternoon before. Alois had taken full credit for the name since he doubted Ciel would ever talk to the demon long enough to claim rights.

Ciel… Alois tried not to think about the problems he had gotten the boy into. He liked to see him as his friend almost- his comrade in arms in this demon infested world.

Not that he had a problem with that…

The blonde turned to Claude with a bright smile.

"You never told me what you were doing yesterday! It was awfully boring without you."

"Really. Is there something you'd like to do today." The sound was so monotonous that it could hardily be described as a question.

"Well, now that you ask! You should make me some lunch! You're cooking is much more delectable than anything my _maid_ does."

"As you wish. I shall g-"

"Ah ah ah." The boy teased with a move of his finger. "I haven't changed yet." The demon gave him a long and hard stare before moving to Alois's closet. The boy went to his bed and waited patiently for Claude to return with his clothing for the day.

As the demon began to unbutton his shirt, Alois felt his good mood slipping away. Once Claude put on the new shirt and began to button it up, the boy suddenly felt the impulse to unbutton it, giving him a daring look. He knew that he was playing a dangerous game.

_It doesn't even matter… I already lost…_

"Does this make you angry?"

Claude stared at him for a moment, eyes impassive, before buttoning it back up. Alois simply repeated the process, feeling slightly more frustrated.

_Don't pretend this doesn't get to you, damn it! Just say it!_

"No."

Silently the demon buttoned it up again. Alois felt his shoulders lose their tension as he gave up, feeling empty.

"Claude…" The boy spoke almost in a daze. The demon remained silent. "Do you hate me?"

He had never asked this before, although deep down he knew… It didn't change anything, though.

That was when he felt the demon take a light hold of his face.

"I am your loyal slave. You don't need to attract my attention."

Alois blinked in light shock, his heartbeat accelerated. He opened his mouth to speak but the sound got caught in his throat. Instead he pushed those hands away and stood up.

The two walked to the dining room, where Alois took a seat.

"I will return shortly with your breakfast." The demon stated.

The blonde watching him go, still feeling slightly emotional. He put his hand in his pocket and took out his phone. He smirked for a second as he read his newest contact: Bitter Rabbit

It soon faded, though. He had put the name of the famous Funtom toy instead of Ciel's in case Claude ever saw his contact list.

_I need to find out… if he's going after him today…_

Soon Claude returned with a plate of food. Alois smiled as cheerfully as he could, feeling himself slowly nearing to normality.

"It looks great! I knew you wouldn't disappoint!"

The plate was placed before him, and Alois began to eat. He thought about asking already, but he usually never speaks while he eats so it would be out of character and Claude might notice something was off.

The boy continued to eat as calmly as possible. It was actually Claude who spoke first.

"Your uncle is going to be visiting tomorrow."

The blonde winced, then quickly covered it with a scowl.

"What?! Why wasn't I informed sooner?!"

"Your maid took the call but she was too afraid to tell you."

"I should beat her for it!" The boy held his temple as he took a deep breath. "Whatever. What does he want?"

"He still doesn't think it is right for you to live on your own."

"I'm not on my own! I have servants!" They both knew that the truth was that, after the experience with his father, Alois did not truly trust any of his relatives enough to live with them.

"I could always go and make sure his car is inoperative."

The blonde tried to force his relief to not be so obvious.

"Yes, go do that." Suddenly a thought came to him that made his eyes narrow before quickly putting on a bored face. "What about after that? Are you going to ditch me again for Ciel Phantomhive?"

He laid his head against his hand in an uninterested fashion as he watched Claude's own eyes narrow lightly.

"It might be necessary, yes. "

Alois looked away, eyes unconsciously lingering over his cellphone.

"Aw, at least make me some dessert before you go!"

* * *

><p>"When I said "a distraction", this was really not what I had in mind!- Gah!" Ciel flopped his arms in the air, trying hard to keep his balance on the ice. Sebastian gracefully skated to his location and pulled him along with him. One hand on the boy's back: guiding him, and one hand holding Ciel's own: pulling him forward.<p>

The demon had taken them to a distant frozen lake and had made improv skating shoes in seconds.

"If I couldn't impress my human once in a while, what kind of supernatural being would I be?" He said, sickeningly sweetly in Ciel's opinion.

"You're insane! You know I've never skated before!"

"Yes, going against all the times that I insisted you try it. Now I can enforce it."

"You're the worst!"

They spent the entire afternoon there. Sebastian never slowed down as he continued to pull Ciel along with him in a long, ice dance. He even spun the boy a few times, which resulted in lots of yelling and cursing.

Ciel would be damned if he ever admitted he was having fun.

Then his cellphone began to ring. Their eyes met, and Ciel dug the apparatus out of his pocket.

"It's a text from Alois." The boy murmured. "_Claude just left_."

"Then it is time for us to leave too." Sebastian said with ease. In a single move he swept Ciel from his feet; lifting him with one hand as he skated at high speed. The boy was on his stomach, arms instinctively extended, feeling both stunned and as if he was flying.

Once off the ice, Ciel found himself being spun to a bridal style position in Sebastian's arms. The boy instinctively held onto him as the demon began to jump around.

Soon they were at the Phantomhive residence. Sebastian entered the house and did not put the boy down until they were in his room. He practically sat him down before his desk.

"Seba-" In a heartbeat, Ciel's homework was littering its surface.

"You have a lot to do, so get to work. I'll be right back."

Ciel cursed at the smiling demon, who was soon gone. The boy took a deep breath before releasing it as a sigh. He forced himself to sit down and think of his school work.

_School work! How could I possibly be able to focus on school work when…_

He forced himself to shake his head and grab a pencil.

_Ok, ok! Problem number 2.4…_

A few minutes passed but it felt like hours for Ciel. His body was tense as he wrote, and he often found himself having to reread the questions.

Then the sounds of impacts began. The first one made the boy give a slight jump. He clenched his teeth and told himself to keep working. The sounds were quiet enough to go unnoticed by someone who wasn't paying attention, but to Ciel they were booming. They kept coming- Ciel's body tensing lightly at each hit. Then there was a particularly loud one that caused the boy to press the pencil's tip hard against the paper, efficiently breaking it.

Ciel stared at it with wide eyes as he realized the sounds had stopped. The silence was deafening. Ciel's grip on his writing utensil tightened as he stayed staring at his desk, willing himself to keep his heartbeat calm.

Then Sebastian suddenly appeared before him, a smile on his face.

"Sorry for the wait."

Ciel's head rose immediately. He growled.

"You bastard!" He threw the pencil at the demon, who dodged it with ease. "We're changing the plan! I will _not_ play the wife who is waiting for her husband to come back from the war!"

Sebastian raised an eyebrow, looking humored.

"Ridiculous metaphors aside, this strategy worked quite well. The enemy was taken by surprise at our preparedness. Also, not seeing you discouraged him and made him retreat sooner."

Ciel knew he was right, and that just made him want to throw more stuff at him. Instead, the boy practically stomped out the room.

"I'm going for cake."

Sebastian followed him with soft eyes.

"I'll make some tea for that."

Once they were in the kitchen, Ciel realized he couldn't sit down. He felt fidgety and slightly anxious. He stood by Sebastian as the demon began his preparations for tea.

"I should learn to make this…" Ciel muttered as he watched.

"There is no need. I'll always make it for you."

"Still…" Without thinking, the boy reached out towards the stove, effectively contacting the soft tip of his finger with a hot surface. "Gah!"

He quickly pulled his hand away with a wince. Before he could do anything, Sebastian took a careful hold of it and pulled it towards him. Without a word, he lightly sucked Ciel's burnt finger.

"AH! WHAT ARE YOU DOING!" The boy yelled as he pulled his hand away, a blush spreading through his cheeks. Sebastian gave him an innocent look.

"I thought that was what humans did when they burnt their fingers."

"WITH THEIR OWN MOUTHS!" Suddenly Ciel felt very capable of sitting. He moved to the kitchen table and practically threw himself onto the chair. He crossed his arms and looked away, the blush still lightly visible.

Soon Sebastian brought the cake and tea. As Ciel picked up his fork, a sudden thought came to mind.

"Do you think Claude-"

"Stop calling him that."

Ciel blinked in surprise. Not only at the comment but at the simple fact that Sebastian had interrupted him. It wasn't like him at all.

"Huh? Why?"

The demon looked away with a hint of frustration in his eyes.

"It's for practical purposes, no? Well right now we both know who we are talking about so there is no need."

Ciel frowned with confusion.

"What are you even saying? Don't just blabber out things! Tell me what's really bothering you!"

The demon turned back to him, holding the eye contact.

"As you wish. I don't like it that you named a demon other than me. It makes me jealous."

Ciel's eyes widened, before a smirk set on his face.

"That's it? Really, Sebastian! I'm disappointed."

The demon raised an eyebrow.

"Sebastian." Ciel stated. "That was the name of my aunt's dead dog. No name will ever be better than that."

Ciel's teasing tone brought a light smile to the demon's face.

"You're right. It cannot compare."

Ciel was still smiling as he took a sip of his tea. It was immediately replaced by a wince.

"Gah! I burnt my tongue…. YOU STAY AWAY FROM ME."

"Aw."

* * *

><p>Alois alerted Ciel with a text 4 more times. Some occasions were more convenient than others.<p>

In Calculus, as Ciel stared at the board with little to no interest, he felt his phone vibrate in his pocket. Sebastian heard it as well. The boy cursed under his breath before raising his arm.

"Teacher! I'm feeling terribly ill! Could I head to the nurse?"

The teacher scowled.

"You know the rules, Phantomhive! No one sees the nurse unless I see that they are either bleeding or in pain!"

The boy cursed internally before quickly thinking of something. Behind his desk, away from the teacher's eye, he signed to Sebastian.

_Punch me in the stomach._

Ciel didn't need to look at the demon to know he was hesitating.

_Just do it!_

Ciel moved his chair back to give Sebastian better access. The demon frowned before, in a blink of an eye, giving the boy a gut grinding hit.

"G-ah!" Ciel cried out in genuine pain as he doubled over. The teacher, who had started to turn away from him, quickly looked panicked.

"F-fine! Go, Phantomhive!" Without another word, Ciel stood up and ran out of the room. The moment they were out, he quickly straightened himself.

"Are you alright?" Sebastian asked immediately, but with a strangely cold tone. "I tried to do it as softly as possible but it was still quite hard, wasn't it?"

"I was just trying to sell the act, it wasn't that bad."

"I'm not doing that ever again."

Ciel looked at the demon out of the corner of his eye and noticed the severe frown on his face.

"The teacher wouldn't fall for the same trick anyway…"

Once away from school grounds, Ciel was again rapidly carried to the Phantomhive residence and set on his desk.

"Remember to read those 2 chapters from the textbook."

"Yeah, yeah, just go already."

Reading was a specially ineffective thing to do during these times, so Ciel decided to focus on a different task instead.

Sebastian would always sit the boy at his desk before leaving, unless they had been doing something else already.

The television's humming was suddenly accompanied by the vibration of Ciel's phone.

"Seriously? It was just getting good too." Ciel muttered in annoyance as Sebastian stood up from the couch to leave. "I'm still watching it without you." They both perfectly knew that Ciel wouldn't register a thing and that they would end up watching it together again anyway.

Then the last time it happened, Sebastian returned very fast. He walked back to Ciel's room only to find the boy lying on the bed instead of sitting on the desk like the demon had expected. Ciel had his arms wide opened and was staring at the ceiling.

"I'm back." Sebastian said cordially.

"Lay down with me." Ciel murmured.

The demon did as he was told, staring at the ceiling along with Ciel. They remained silent that way for a moment before the boy spoke.

"Claude… suspects something doesn't he?"

"It was to be expected. Once or twice of us being prepared could have been a coincidence but the amount of times has been too many."

"He's been leaving sooner… he's getting frustrated…"

"Yes."

"That's doesn't mean he's giving up, though…"

"It might mean exactly the opposite."

* * *

><p>Claude cursed under his breath as he walked down the halls of the Trancy residence.<p>

_How?! How do they know I'm coming?! _The demon clenched his teeth. _I thought somehow Sebastian could sense me as I got near, but I'm beginning to think there is something else going on…_

Claude reached the garden, where Alois was eating some cookies the demon had just made.

_But how? I would know If I've been followed! There's no other way he could get that informa-_

And that was when it hit him. Hie eyes landed on the blonde.

_No way… _His frown deepened. _He **has** been asking constantly about my whereabouts. I just presumed he had decided to be extra annoying, but…_

He neared the table where the boy was siting.

"I am leaving now to search for Ciel Phantomhive."

Alois looked up, startled at the demon's directness (He usually had to poke and prod to get any response from him). He swallowed the piece of the cookie he had just bitten.

"Have fun, then." He said, brushing off crumbs from his mouth. Claude narrowed his eyes before walking back into the house, apparently heading towards the main entrance. In a heartbeat, the demon made his way to the roof of the house and watched the blonde carefully.

Alois popped another cookie into his mouth before taking his cellphone out of his pocket. Claude hissed.

_Alois doesn't have any friends or even relatives he talks to._

The blonde felt his blood run cold as he heard Claude land behind him. The phone slipped from his grip and his face went pale. The demon bent down and took the phone, calmly reading the message: _He is at it again._

Alois turned to look at him, and instantly regretted it as he was trapped staring into eyes filled with pure contempt. A chill ran through his spine.

"C-claude?"

The cellphone was calmly returned to him. Confused, the blonde looked down at the unfinished message, before looking up.

"You will be writing a different text today." Alois's eyes widened in fear at Claude's tone. "It will read: Something has gone wrong. Meet me at the park that is 2 streets away from my house."

The boy stood there, frozen except for his trembling hands. The demon's eyes gleamed dangerously.

"Send it _now_."

* * *

><p><strong>Get ready for the next chapter cause it'll be the last one!<strong>


	5. Chapter 5

**THE END IS HERE... OR IS IT?**

* * *

><p>Ciel watched his reflection as it brushed his teeth. Looking slightly to the side of it, the boy watched Sebastian as he walked from one side of the bathroom to the other; hanging the wet towel Ciel had just used.<p>

"Howcm I cnsee you?"

"Spit that out before you speak."

Ciel leaned over the sink and did just that. A bit of toothpaste stuck to the corner of his mouth.

"How come I can see you?" He repeated. Sebastian made eye contact with him through the mirror.

"Why wouldn't you?"

"Isn't there a weird mode with supernatural beings having no reflection?"

"You're comparing me to a vampire again."

"Not my fault I've been brainwashed by the media." The boy continued his brushing. He turned on the faucet, cupped some water with his hand, and sipped.

"Make sure to swish it through your molars."

"Mhm!" The boy made an annoyed sound. _Stop acting like my mother!_ He signed.

After a few seconds, Ceil leaned over the sink to spit out the water, but made eye contact with Sebastian who raised an eyebrow. The boy rolled his eyes and kept the liquid in his mouth for a few seconds longer.

That was when Sebastian tilted his head to the side, listening to something.

"Your cellphone is vibrating." They both knew what that meant.

Ciel took that as a sign to spit. He sighed, whipping at his mouth inefficiently. Sebastian moved to his side and held his chin up before whipping with his thumb at the toothpaste that had persistently stuck to the boy's lip.

"I was wrong." Ciel stated. "You are more my mother than my own mother."

The demon gave him a soft smile before pulling away.

"I'll be back soon." Ciel hummed in response, looking away. He put the toothbrush back into its glass cup on the sink.

_I wonder how fast it'll be this time… _

The boy walked back to his room. He intended to head to his desk to work, but lost motivation almost instantly. Instead he threw himself onto his bed and buried his face against a pillow. He stayed like that for a few seconds before turning onto his side. His eyes landed on his nightstand, where his cellphone was. Not having anything better to do, Ciel leaned over his bed and took a hold of the apparatus.

He winced at the brightness before his eyes quickly adjusted to it. He opened Alois's newest text. He expected a word or two, but the message was quite different.

Ciel frowned as he quickly sat up.

"Sebastian…" Forgetting that he wasn't alone at the house, Ciel began to call out as he ran towards the door. "Sebastian!"

He rushed past Mey Rin, who he did not even notice. The maid squeaked as she barely saved herself from crashing with the boy. Confused, she watched him exit the house.

"What did he say? A name? Se-sebastaian?" She was quiet for a second before panic filled her. "MY REPLACEMENT!"

Ciel slammed the door closed, Sebastian already waiting for him outside.

"What happened?" He asked, having heard him from inside the house.

"Alois's text… I don't think Claude is coming here." Ciel read it out. "Something has gone wrong. Meet me at the park that is 2 streets away from my house." Sebastian frowned.

"That sounds…. Awfully suspicious."

"Let's try looking at it as if it was genuine first, ok? What could have happened? Do you think Claude found him out?"

"I do suppose that is possible."

"Damn it… if that's the case, then Alois needs our help." Sebastian did not look happy at that comment.

"You'd put yourself in danger for him? Remember he facilitated Claude's access to you."

"It's not that! Think about it: If Claude found out, then he might convince Alois to use his "friendship" with us for his own benefit. We won't know whether we can trust him or not. Whatever the situation, Alois is probably no longer useful to us but we can't let him become a threat."

Sebastian was quiet for a second.

"I agree that something must be done, but I don't want you involved." Ciel scowled at that.

"What do you mean?! Of course I'm involved!"

"Ciel. Even if this really is Alois in need of assistance, Claude is most definitely involved. Even if this wasn't his plan, _you_ are what he wants so it would work all the same. You need to stay here."

Ciel felt frustration pile up more and more inside of him. The memory of the last few days spent staring at his textbooks and walls made him angry.

"No. I'm done not doing anything." The boy began to walk towards the ground's exit.

"Cie-" The boy turned around, hands on his hips.

"I'm not asking you, Sebastian! I'm going! You're contracted to protect me, right? So let's go!"

The demon stared at him for a long time. Although Sebastian did not agree, he couldn't help feeling a spark of excitement at Ciel's determination.

Silently, he signed to the boy-

_If you insist._

* * *

><p>Long after the boy and the demon had left, Mey rin slammed the door open. She walked out with fists clenched and head high.<p>

"Leave now, Mey Rin! While you still have your d-dignity!"

* * *

><p>Ciel was once again in his spot on Sebastian's arm. They didn't know exactly where the park Alois had texted about was, so Sebastian focused on following Claude's scent.<p>

"It is strong. They are both together."

Ciel frowned. That could only mean trouble.

"Stop at a distance. We should observe them before deciding our next course of action."

The demon tightened his hold on Ciel, and the boy looked at him out of the corner of his eye. Red eyes were narrowed, and he looked ready for a fight. It was obvious that the demon was more than unhappy to have Ciel so exposed to danger.

_I needed to come in case talking to Alois was necessary, but now… It's most definitely a trap… no… I must admit I'm not sure what's going on…_

"It's here."

Ciel blinked out of his thoughts and realized they were looking at a park from above a building.

"Where are they?"

"At the most tree covered area."

"… The most hidden area? The one of hardest access?"

"Not for a demon…"

Ciel was quiet for a moment.

"The one a human would be less likely to walk into." A sudden thought came to the boy. "Can you hear them?" The demon was silent for a moment.

"Only Alois. I cannot distinguish what is being spoken. He sounds distressed."

The boy felt both confusion and determination.

"Let's figure out what's going on, then." He lifted his hands. "_From this point on, it's safer to sign."_

Sebastian nodded before jumping off the building. Ciel tightened his hold around the demon's shoulder.

"_Remember: you might not be able to hear or see Claude." _Sebastian gestured with his free hand.

Ciel frowned. That definitely complicated things. He nodded in acknowledgement.

Sebastian dropped through the trees. Ciel felt his own heart beating faster as they neared their destination.

_Don't think too much, just be ready for anything…_

That was when he heard it: Alois calling out.

"-on! Please talk to me!" The blonde said with a fearful tone. Sebastian finally stopped moving. He kneeled down behind a heavily grown bush with many meters of distance, and trees, between them and the blonde. It was still close enough to clearly distinguish Alois's silhouette.

To Ciel, the boy was yelling at thin air, but he knew better. Alois gave a frustrated cry, and he looked like he was in the verge of tears.

"Th-they're not going to come! It's too suspicious! Please!"

Beyond Ciel's sight, Claude finally turned to look at his boy with contempt filled eyes.

"If you can't even do that for me," he began, eyes narrowing. "Then I truly have no use for you."

Ciel watched as Alois's eyes widened in horror and pain. Then the waterworks started as the boy fell to his knees, clinging onto something that was invisible.

"Please don't leave me! You… you're all I have left in this world… all I care about... " Claude looked down at the boy, his expression becoming suddenly unreadable.

"Don't say such ridiculous things-"

"But it's true!" Alois leaned his head against Claude's leg, tears rolling down his face mercilessly. "You are the only one… That I truly need… because I... I..."

As Ciel saw the way Alois's face lifted up and his eyes widened in surprise, the blue haired boy's quick mind concluded that Claude had gotten onto his knees and was holding the boy's face in his hands.

Claude stared deeply into those electric blue eyes.

"A soul capable of loving a demon…"

He began to lean in towards the blonde. A flash of utter relief and joy shone through Alois's eyes before he leaned in as well.

Ciel heard the cracking of Alois's skull much before his brain registered it. His mouth opened in a silent scream. He saw the heavy, red, drops fall onto the boy's lap before Sebastian could cover his eyes and pull him against his chest. Suddenly Claude's voice was audible.

"…can hardily work my appetite."

Instinctively, Ciel threw his arms around his demon's neck. Sebastian quickly picked him up and moved away from their location as fast as he could.

"We need to put as much distance between us as possible." Sebastian muttered. Ciel's face was buried against his shirt. "Killing your marked human has consequences of its own." Ciel only half heard him as the other part of his mind was paralyzed with shock. He clung onto Sebastian like a lifeline and did not let go until they had stopped moving.

"Ciel." The boy's tense limbs felt suddenly loose, exhausted. He let go of the demon, landing on a patch of grass.

_Another park...?_

"We're away from the city. I thought it would be best in case things become dangerous."

That was when he realized he was trembling. Ciel stayed quiet for a moment, trying to get his swirling head in check.

_Alois… _He closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and forced himself back.

"You said something about consequences. For Claude?" The normality of his voice surprised even himself.

"Yes…" Sebastian stared into Ciel's eyes. "We should sit down. He wont be here for a while."

"And it would be useless to keep moving since he _will_ go after us."

"Yes."

"Therefore… it is better to wait for him away from sight…" Ciel almost felt like laughing. "…And there is nothing we _can_ do but wait." Ciel walked towards a tree and took a seat, leaning against it. Sebastian did the same. "Look at you: Sitting. You were even the one to advice it in the first place. We've come far."

"All thanks to your influence."

They sat in silence for a moment. Ciel stared at the sky as he spoke.

"Consequences...?" He asked again.

"If a demon kills a human they contracted with, they become cursed."Sebastian began. Ciel looked at him out of the corner of his eye.

"From that day on they will always be visible to humans, meaning they can never have a peaceful meal again. " The boy nodded. "Their movements become much less agile, but much more violent. They become more volatile and unreasonable. They can never mark a human again. Also, their essence becomes tainted. It is something any demon can recognize immediately and will automatically despise."

Ciel spoke absentmindedly.

"I wonder if it was worth it…" Sebastian stared at him with a raised eyebrow. "Killing Alois…"

"You're stil thinking about that."

"How could I not?"

"It wasn't your fault." The boy remained silent. "Ciel." He looked away. "It wasn't your fault."

"And even if it was, who cares... it's not like you can do anything about it..."

Then something in the air changed. Sebastian stood up, body tense and ready for battle. Ciel tried looking at the direction Sebastian was, but saw nothing. A few seconds later, though, he gasped.

Claude was walking calmly towards them, almost like the day he first saw him except that this time there was a dark and twisted aura curling around him. It brought a chill through Ciel's very soul. Sharp red eyes landed on his, and Ciel felt as if his breath had been forced out of him. Those eyes looked at him with hunger but of a different kind: vengeance.

Sebastian quickly got in the way, bringing those eyes to meet with his. Claude smiled, his teeth now sharp.

"How did you enjoy the little show?"

Ciel felt his blood run cold.

_He knew we were there…_

_Of course he did! If Sebastian could sense him then so could he! _Then another though hit Ciel. _Did he… wait for us to get there before killing Alois? _

"Leave now." Sebastian ordered.

"Why? Specially now when I've done _so much_ for this soul…" Claude raised his arms. "I mean, look at me…" Then, without warning, he released a storm of sharp "needle-like" weapons. Sebastian wrapped his arms around Ciel and shielded him with his body.

"Sebas-!" The sound of sharp metal piercing skin made Ciel gasp. Before he could panic, though, Sebastian pulled away and looked at Ciel with a calm smile.

"I will handle this. You stay right here." They stared into each other's eyes for a second, seeming to gain strength from each other. Ciel nodded. With that, Sebastian left his side.

He was the first to attack. Even though it was all very high speed, Ciel could now tell when hits were Sebastian's and when they were Claude's because of the corrupted demon's aura. Neither was backing down at all. Claude, though, seemed to be laughing all the while. Suddenly he began to yell.

"I no longer want his soul, you know! I'm going to waste it! I'm going to make sure he _**dies**_ without you _**ever**_ getting a **_taste_**!"

Sebastian's teeth clenched and, out of anger, stopped his attacks to harbor in energy for a single stronger one. In that moment, a light sparked in Claude's eyes and a single needle-like knife flew right past Sebastian…

… Efficiently going straight through Ciel's lower abdomen like a gunshot.

"_CIEL!_" Sebastian turned towards the boy, but Claude forced him back into battle.

Ciel hadn't even registered the weapon heading his way until he felt it. Eyes wide, the boy crumpled onto the ground face first. He laid there, bleeding out onto the ground, as he listened to Sebastian's struggles.

"You want to go back to your boy, huh? I think it's best if we just let him die in peace!"

_Die…?_

Ciel's mind was fuzzy, and his entire body felt cold and numb.

_I'm… dying…_

This realization brought the memory of the death he had witnessed a moment before, and the closing phrase that had gone with it.

"…_is hardly worth my appetite." _

_Appetite… Sebastian… I wonder… my soul…_

His thoughts were cutting up, but something forced Ciel to focus. Weakly at first, his fist clenched, scratching at the dirt under his fingers.

_I want to die as a soul that he would wish for…_

Sebastian kept trying to shake Claude off, to no avail. A pool of blood was gathering under Ciel, and Sebastian couldn't waste another minute.

Suddenly, that red liquid caught Sebastian's eye. It began to move, slowly taking the form of the seal of their contract. Then Ciel's eyes opened. Painfully slowly, he moved his arm toward his face until he used all his strength to rip off his eye patch and call out.

"_Sebastian_!" The demon felt energy flare inside him. Ciel's purple eye pulsed. "You are contracted to protect me! Get me away from here!"

And suddenly a relaxed smile appeared on Sebastian's face because what Ciel had asked him to do, which had seemed impossible a second before, was the most plain and simple of tasks- and one that must be done.

In seconds, Sebstian gave Claude 3 major hits that's shocked and damaged the demon long enough for Sebastian to reach Ciel's side and carry the boy away.

* * *

><p>"You'll have to forgive the methods I've taken, but as that saying goes, it is quite a desperate time." Sebastian said this as he bandaged Ciel's torso with resources he had stolen from the local pharmacy.<p>

"I think I can look past it just this once." Ciel whispered, feeling drained.

The demon had taken him back to the city to better treat his injury. Ciel looked over Sebastian's shoulder at the view they had from such a tall building. Sebastian noticed.

"This is the tallest building in the vicinity. No one will notice anything that happens here." His tone was almost cheerful.

"You sound confident." Ciel muttered, trying to focus as he looked into those red eyes.

"You've ordered me to protect you, therefore I will." He stated as if it was the simplest thing in the world. Somehow it seemed that way now.

"Claude…"

"I know what must be done to defeat him. We cannot spend another second wasting our time with him in your condition." His eyes softened. "How are you feeling?"

It was taking all of the boy's willpower to stay conscious. His vision was constantly becoming blurry but he blinked it off. He made a quick calculation in his mind.

"You have 10 minutes." He stated as unfazed as he could.

"That's more than enough." Sebastian said with a nod. Then something in his eyes changed. "There is… one thing I must ask of you."

Ciel watched him in silence, knowing that whatever the request was; he would follow it.

"To defeat this enemy I've decided to take my true form. I've realized that in his cursed state he can never take it again." Sebastian spoke calmly and softly and never took his eyes off Ciel. "I want to ask you to close your eyes. I don't want what you could see to… change your impression of me…"

Ciel watched him for a moment before closing his eyes.

"Ok."

He expected to feel Sebastian leave his side, but the demon seemed to stay watching him for a moment.

"Ciel…" The boy almost opened his eyes out of instinct. "Promise me that you'll hold on."

That was when Ciel realized how heavy his limbs felt and that if he actually tried to open his eyes it wouldn't be as easy as he had first presumed. He could feel his body intending to shut down.

"…I promise." He would fight it.

_If I didn't have the strength to do that… then what would my soul even be worth? _

He received no response but felt lips press lightly against his forehead.

"10 minutes." Sebastian reminded him.

"It's 8 now." Ciel corrected.

Then the air began to change, and Ciel knew Sebastian was taking his true demon form. For some reason, he felt no curiosity at what it looked like.

_Sebastian is Sebastian…_

A few minutes later, his bleary mind registered the feeling of Claude arriving. The demon's tainted essence caused a shiver down his spine, which made him curse under his breath at the pain the movement caused on his side.

_6… _Thought Ciel.

There were no conversations this time, just a genuine fight to the death. Ciel knew Sebastian would win... he just hoped he would do it on time.

_5…_

The sounds were not pleasant. Loud and inhumane screeches were coming from Claude.

Then one particular impact was so strong it caused a wave of energy that sent even Ciel flying. He reached the edge of the building but instinctively held onto it before falling, his body dangling and efficiently stretching his injury painfully.

"Ciel!" He heard Sebastian yell. The boy was breathing heavily, forcing his body not to give in.

_I can't die… not before he takes it…_

"10 seconds!" He managed to yell at the demon.

_Finish him!_

And in the next 10 seconds Ciel heard the most vicious battle… that was more one sided than anything…

With only one seconds to spare, Ciel felt himself be pulled to safety. The boy released a breath he didn't know he was holding. He allowed his eyes to open and look at Sebastian with a tired smile. That was when he noticed the demon's appearance.

His eyes were not red, but a mix of bright pink and purple. There was blood splattered around him, but it wasn't that that made Ciel's eyes widen. It was the look Sebastian was giving him: one that he had expected when he had found out Sebastian's true nature and intentions but that he hadn't ever truly seen until now…

Hunger.

The demon sat Ciel down, never taking his eyes away from him. Slowly he traced a finger along Ciel's cheek.

"S-sebastian?"

The demon's eyes were soft but the ferocity that had been released in the prior battle, lingered in them. He leaned forward, and pressed his lips to the boy's ear.

"It is time, Ciel…"

Ciel breath caught in his throat.

_Oh…_

Sebastian pulled back, and Ciel stared into those eyes that looked at him both like he was the only thing of value in the universe and like a poor and helpless animal of prey.

"…Ok." The boy said, the surprise in his eyes being replaced by something soft. Sebastian cupped Ciel's cheek and the boy tiredly leaned against his hand. He wasn't scared or saddened by Sebastian's decision, if anything he was feeling glad.

_I did it… this was what I held on for..._ Ciel thought as he still felt himself slipping away from blood loss._ I just didn't think it would happen so soon…_

"Will it hurt?" He asked, immediately regretting his words: This was Sebastian's moment and he didn't want to make it tedious for him with stupid questions.

Concern flashed in the demon's eyes and for a moment they looked almost back to normal, but the tint of hunger remained.

"I promise to make it as painless as possible." Ciel smiled against Sebastian's hand.

"No… make it as painful as you can. I want to feel every second of it."

Sebastian watched him for a moment, fondness in his gaze.

_You shouldn't look at someone like that when you are about to kill them… _Ciel thought with humor, yet something pulled at his chest that made him feel wetness in his eyes.

Then determination took over Sebastian's gaze. As he began to lean forward, Ciel wondered if (once the high he was on went away) the demon would regret his actions. Not the fact that he took his soul, but that he did it so soon.

_We could have been together longer…_

And Ciel thought of all their years together and wondered if he was paying a fair price.

The boy's vision was darkening, and he was suddenly upset that maybe he would not be able to stay conscious for such an important moment.

"Sebastian…" With absolutely no strength left, Ciel's eyes began to close. "I hope all these years were worth it…"

And Ciel was thankful that the last thing he saw were those eyes…

* * *

><p><em>5 year old Ciel sat up from his bed crying out. He immediately curled in on himself and began to tremble with sobs. <em>

"_S-sebastian! Sebastian!" He had stopped calling out for his mother a few years back. _

_The demon was immediately on his knees, trying to be at face level with the boy._

"_Look over here, Ciel." Sebastian voiced so the boy would uncurl and look at him through tearful eyes. "You had a _bad dream_?" He put emphasis on those words to remind the boy that what he had seen was not real. Ciel nodded his little head._

"_There were s-shadows chasing me… they made ugly sounds…"_

_Sebastian's eyes softened. He tried never to think of it, since there was no helping it, but he always hated the fact that he could offer the boy no comfort beyond that of his words. _

"_But you are awake now, and all is well." Bright blue eyes stared into red before small fists rubbed tears away. _

"_Will you tell me a story?" He asked hopefully. That made Sebastian's smile twitch: the fact that at such a young age he had learned not to take anything for granted, especially any form of comfort or affection._

"_Of course. I always do, don't I?" The boy smiled at that and nodded. Sebastian let a small chuckle escape him. "Alright. Let me think…" He put a hand under his chin. "Hm… What about "Ciel in Wonderland?""_

"_That's like Alice in wonderland! But with me!" Ciel said cheerfully._

"_That's right. It all centers around you." It surprised Sebastian how true that statement was in so many ways: how his own existence pretty much centered all around the boy now. Ciel frowned suddenly._

"_I don't want to wear a dress." He said with a pout. _

"_You wont, just something deserving of your high status." Ciel watched him eagerly, nightmare forgotten. Sebastian smiled._

"_Once upon a time, in a large home in england..."_

* * *

><p>The sound of a heart monitor.<p>

That was what Ciel awoke to.

It took him some time to register that fact… you know… that he had awakened at all. As he gained consciousness, his thoughts were all messed up.

_I shouldn't be awake… right?... something happened…no?_

Then he remembered.

_Sebastian._

"Sebastian…" His eyes were too unfocused to understand what was before them. Ciel felt a hand land softly on the top of his head.

"I'm here." A familiar voice answered. Ciel blinked hard and forced his senses to function. He turned his head towards the voice, just to find his demon looking down at him with a soft smile. "You've been lazying around for quite a while now."

Blue eyes widened as they took in the demon's form. He couldn't even acknowledge the joke.

"Sebastian…? Why?" Ciel whispered. That was when he took in his surroundings. He was in a medium sized hospital room. It was full of flowers, "get well soon" balloons, and different editions of the Funtom company's "Bitter Rabbit".

"Elizabeth sent most of it." Sebastian explained. Ciel looked back at him.

"That's not what I want to know!" The boy said with light frustration. "Why- why didn't you…" Sebastian's eyes softened.

"You are right to be confused. I had every intention of taking your soul. The spur of the moment took control of me…" Ciel had suspected that, which was why he was so confused. "What happened was… you passed out before I could take your soul. You were fading fast and that realization suddenly rendered me useless. It's quite embarrassing to admit that I may have panicked."

Ciel wondered what his reaction should be. Should he be laughing? Was this something worth making fun of? Should he be relieved? Angry? For some reason Ciel felt none of these things, and instead could not label the emotion clawing at his chest.

"Then… something extremely remarkable occurred." Sebastian's gaze was so deep that Ciel thought he might never be able to look away. He was ok with that.

"What?"

"Again, it is something hard to explain to a human. It is a very, _very,_ rare occurrence: Our essences bonded." Ciel blinked in both surprise and confusion.

"There isn't an exact explanation for it, but when a soul is as formidable as yours it is possible for it to act on its own accord. Instead of me taking your soul, your soul reached out to me. Remember how I once told you that the contract made us one and the same? Well now it goes far beyond that."

Ciel stared at him unblinking. He needed to know more.

"What do you mean? What happened to my soul?"

"It is now inside me, but it is very different than if I would have eaten it. Right now your soul is circling in me, active and vibrant. It fills me with more energy than eating any soul ever could: I will never feel the desire to feed again."

"If you had eaten my soul…"

"It would only lie dormant in the shadows."

"But… if my soul's in you…"

"Then how are you alive? Like I said, your soul is truly remarkable. It is active inside me and it has the strength to keep influencing your body." He was silent for a second. "Now, this is the important part…"

Ciel had considered everything that had been said important, meaning the next few words would be life changing.

"Since your soul is no longer in your body, you will continue to exist even after your body stops functioning."The boy blinked in shock. Waiting for Sebastiant to keep talking before he made some ridiculous assumption. "Even when you die, your soul will continue to live in me. You will simply "awaken" by my side once more. This being, of course, for as long as I live- which could very well be for eternity."

Those words hit Ciel hard as he finally realized that he had understood correctly.

"Eternity…" He whispered.

"Yes. So you will live your life as a human for now, then accompany me for some time afterwards."

Ciel didn't understand what he was feeling, only that the heart monitor was beeping very fast and that his body was trembling. Ciel looked back up at Sebastian and once again noticed the way the demon was looking at him. This time it was purely that strange devotion Sebastian held for him, and Suddenly Ciel was sure that Sebastian would have regretted taking his soul if he had.

_For all eternity... _The boy cleared his throat, coming back to his senses.

"You know I'm ok with it…" Ciel muttered. Sebastian smiled.

"Of course. It was your soul that reached out to me, after all."

"Hey it could have been an instinct of self preservation." And yet Ciel knew himself well enough to be certain that he had been instinctively trying to avoid Sebastian's regret. "Sit."

Sebastian raised an eyebrow, humored. He sat at the edge of Ciel's bed where the boy let his head fall onto the demon's lap. Sebastian ran his fingers through those blue locks.

"Eternity, huh? You sure you can handle me for so long?" Ciel teased as a thought crept into his mind.

_Being immortal by yourself can probably be a little lonely… _

"We'll see about that. But first, there are other things we need to deal with." Sebastian began to stand and Ciel made a questioning sound as he was forced to lift his head from his "pillow". That was when his mother walked into the room. She gasped.

"Ciel!" Immediately she ran to his side, Sebastian moving back to give her space. She took one of his hands and cupped his cheek. "Oh thank heavens you are awake! I was so scared!" Tears brimmed in her eyes. Ciel felt slight panic at the sight.

"I-Im ok, mother! Really!" At least he thought. He didn't actually know anything about his condition. "A-actually…" He bit his lip. "What happened?"

It would be easier to pretend he remembered nothing, and see what his mother knew or suspected. Mrs. Phantomhive looked pained.

"You can't remember? Oh, sweetie… I don't know If I should be glad…" Ciel frowned. She petted his head. "I was out when I heard they found the body of a young boy at a park… I knew it was stupid of me to be worried but I called the house anyway…" Ciel's eyes widened.

_Alois…_

"No one answered! Not even Mey Rin! I started getting really scared but I decided not to jump to any conclusions until I made sure you weren't home. I went back to the house to find it empty. I called your cellphone but you wouldn't answer. It's already been found… beside a large pool of blood…" She started to cry then. "I didn't know anything then, but I was just sure that something bad had happened! I called Mey Rin's cellphone and she said you had left during the afternoon! It had been so long ago! She got worried too and we both called for help to look for you. It was not until I called a public hospital that I was told you had been brought in in an ambulance a few minutes before! Someone had found you on the streets with a stab wound!"

_On the streets? _Ciel turned to Sebastian as discretely as possible.

"I placed you where I knew someone would walk into you. They called for help." The demon explained. Ciel looked back at his mother as she continued.

"I couldn't believe it! They said that you were in surgery and I just… I was just so…" She started to sob, and Ciel suddenly found himself holding and comforting her.

_I'm pretty sure the one on the hospital bed shouldn't be the one doing this… _He thought with a humorless smile.

"The p-police say it's too much of a coincidence for two boys of around the same age and social status to have been attacked on the same night… they say it was probably the same person… d-do you know… anything about the other kid?"

She looked up at Ciel, and for a moment he thought that Alois deserved the truth. He deserved a witness... A friend...

"Don't think about that. Not now. You need to focus on yourself, Ciel." Sebastian said. Ciel took a deep breath, then let it out slowly.

"No mother… I don't know what you're talking about." He finally whispered. She nodded at him.

"I'm sorry for bringing this up so soon. Maybe I should have waited for you to have been more rested."

"No it's fine. I was the one who asked."

"The cops might come later to-" The door to the room slammed open and a familiar squeaky voice was heard.

"_**Young master!" **_Mey Rin ran inside, crying. She threw herself at Ciel and hugged the boy tightly. "_**I'm so sorry I left! If only I had stayed at the house I would have answered your mother's phone call and we would have looked for you sooner! This is all my fault!" **_She was crying rivers and Ciel was actually panicking.

"N-no! It was not your fault at all! P-please calm down…" Mey Rin suddenly looked up at him and took off her large and useless glasses to make efficient eye contact, which surprised Ciel.

"I was just so s-sad because I'm being replaced… Y-you're my family..."

Ciel blinked.

"Replaced?" He looked at his mother, who seemed just as confused.

"We aren't going to replace you, Mey Rin."

"B-but what about that S-sebastian?" Ciel felt like someone had just punched him in the stomach. He looked away as his mother's eyes widened.

"W-what do you mean…?" She almost whispered.

"I heard Ciel calling out to a Sebastian! I-I thought he was my replacement…" His mother turned to him with horror. Ciel forced himself to act unaffected.

"There's no way we'd ever replace you Mey Rin! So dry your eyes and take a breath."

Ciel clenched his hands into fists as he waited for his mother to comment on what Mey Rin had said. He knew she had suspected that he was still "seeing" Sebastian after all these years, but she had no true evidence... until now.

_Some interesting times lay ahead… _Ciel thought bitterly.

* * *

><p><strong>That is it for "Imagine Madness"! But... there will be actually be <strong>TWO** "spin offs" for this "series" if you want to see it that way.**

**There will be a **sequel** called **"Imagine Eternity"** going from cute one-shots of birthdays, problematic fiancees, and confused servants, to intense arcs of worried mothers who make bad decisions, and other things Ciel and Sebastian need to deal with before they start thinking about eternity!**

**There will also be a **prequel** called **"Imagine Innocence"** with all the moments that didn't make it to the flashbacks! Who wouldn't want to hear about that time 11 year old Ciel sang for Sebastian's "birthday"? There might also be a bit of Alois and Claude in there from time to time.**

**So it's far from over! What happens is already pretty much set in stone in my head, but if you have any questions for prompts you'd like to see, like "what would Sebastian do when Ciel got sick?" or "seriously! where's this kid's father!?" Then I'll be happy to include that story!**


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